WAR THREAT IN PALESTINE

Chronicle (Levin), 9 January 1947, Page 5

WAR THREAT IN PALESTINE

— Press Association

Tension Caused by Death Sentence

PROMtSE OF REVENGE

By Telegraph

Received Thtirsday, 12.6 a.m. LONDON, Jan. 8. . Jrgun Zvai Leumi posfed pamphlets in Tel Aviv last nig-ht deelaring that. a. war of revenge vvottld begin if the death sentence on the 33-year-ofd Jewish gttnman i)ov ( rruner was not commuted. Iieuter's Jerusalem correspondent says that the " Vorce of fsrael" radio annotfneed that any attempt to impose martiaf law in Balestine would have the opposite i-esults to those sought, hv increasirtg the tension and creating a backgrottnd suitable for terronsm. Reuter's Paris eorrespondent says that Mr. Ben-Ourion said he intended going to Palestine on Thursday on a "peaee mission/' to fry to prevetit fnrther- ont-hre.-iks of terrorism. He will eonI'er with Jevvish Ieaders in London tomorrow. Beports were. circulating in Jerusalem last night that ;t fraec had heen agi-eed upon by the terrorists both Irgun Zvai Leumi and the Slern (tang. The Times-' eorrespondent in Jerusalem says the reports rrmst be treated eircumspectly, but should not he ig nored. A truce would make the immediate task of the Adminis-tr.-rtion easier but obvionsly eould not be relied on. Reuter's eorrespondent in Jerusalem qtiotes relinble (lovernment sourees for the statement that the sentence of 1 welve strokes of the cane passed on Aaron Uohen for Ihe ])ossession of a lenflet bomh has l)een remitted. (Ueneral Barker had confrrmed the eaning sentence but remitted the month's impriso-nment to which Uohen was also sentenced). The head of the Jewish Agency's political department, Alr. Moshe Shertok, said *the Zionist Uongress deeixion not to attend Ihe London conferenee was reaehed because the conferenee had beeome linked in the ]>ttblie rnind with the so-ealled Morrison selieme, which the Zionists regarded as unfavonrable. Furthermore." the conferenee was not being held with a view to the Jews and Arabs sitting arottndU the snrhe table. Therel'oi-e the Zionists considered ' that the Britis-h Oovernmenl wonld have to make its own decision on Palestine. The Daily Express's Rome eortespondent. reports that Professor SnKM'tenko. vice-president of the Amei'iean League for a free Palestine, is flying to London tomorrow i 1 o eliallenge the Britisli Cloverniii ent 's decision to exclude him from Britaiji. "WHAT NEXT?"

The Times' Jerusalem eorresjioiulent says that the series of searehes and interrogations whieh were begun because of the ffogging of British serviee personnel nine days ago have now heen eonipleted. Their suecess has heen no •grealer tlian was expected- — a (to m pa i;af i v el/ i ns i gn i ti e an t A mun. ; her of terrorists and srnall quantities of aibns' diseovered. No eoncrete gains beyond these were looked for. The .ob jeet and cause of the operations lay in the fact that it was neeessary to show that the British Army and authority eould not he moeked, and also if the Administration had not aeted then the troops themselves would prohahly have done so. The question everyone is now aslcing more urgentiy than ever is: What happens next f llardly anyone believes the terrorists will stay quiet, altliough they fnay hold tlu'ir ha nd somewhat until the Army relaxes a Jit-tle. Whatever the terrorists do the Army will reaet. No longer will the Administration turn the other eheek. but how far they will go and how 1'ar the civil branch of the Governinent will turn affairs over to the rnilitary braneh depends on the orovocation that the terrorists ?ive.

"It is essential in Jewish inter ests that terorrism shall aetivel.i as well as passively be opposed In Ihe Jews themselves otherwise their cause will eontinue to be identified with violence in the estimation of the British people 4nys The Times in a loadinp article. "British troops and the poliee in Palestine are not the mistodians of public peaee. Their ^ole funetion is to preserve the 2xisting institutions so long, and inly so long, as it takes for a new •egime to be established. Tliey lave a right to ask that their 'nnetion shall be vespeeted by the Jewish eommiuiity; for whose free-

(lom they fought in the war. Yet Iiitherto that community has taken no action to repress terrorism by anything except moral suasion. " Uabinet will not make a definite decision on the imposition of marfial law in Palestine until the Iligli Uommissioner (Licut-freneral Bir Alan Cnnniiigham) / retnrns for fnrther talks with offieeTs 011 the spot, says Reuters. Meanwhilc the Cabinet discussions will be confined to means of ilidueing the Jews to participate in the London conferenee ' on January 21, .