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Violence Ebbs; British Police Withdrawn from Tel Aviv and Its Environs

December 16, 1947
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Palestine had its quietest day since the out##ak of Arab attacks today, as all British and Arab policemen were withdrawn from ### Aviv and its suburbs and the responsiblity for maintenance of law and order ##an area comprising nearly one-third of the projected Jewish State was turned ## to the Jewish community.

The police were withdrawn from Tel Aviv and its satellite towns of Petach ##vah, Ramath Gan and Bnei Brak–a quadrangle in which more than half the Jews in ##estine live and work. In addition, the Jewish police force, estimated to number ### will also be responsible for the well being of some 5,000 Arabs living within ### area and the Jewish suburbs of Jaffa.A small detachment of 20 British policemen remained at the Sarona police ##racks temporarily. German property at Sarona, which has been under government ##trol since the war, was turned over to the Sarona municipality which in turn ##ded it to the Jewish Agency for use in housing veterans.

The government announced today that one Jew and three Arabs were killed throughout the country since 8 a.m. this morning. However, the announcement did ### specify where the various incidents occurred.

One Arab died and several were wounded when a party of four khaki-clad Jews ##cked a bued a bus with hand grenades and automatic weapons. The bus was filled with ### workers en route to Lydda. The raiders are believed to have been members of ### Irgun Zvai Leumi.

Two soldiers of the Transjordan Frontier Force were imjured today when an ##mored car in which they were riding was attacked with fire bombs near the Mustashfa police station in Jerusalem. Other Arab troopers got out of the vehicle and walked into the nearest Jewish shop–a smithy–and shot the first Jew they encountered, ##ing him seriously.

A Jewish settlement policemen, Zalman Wintor, 19, was shot and killed by Arab ##s near kfar Giladi, in Upper Galilee. He was on convoy duty.

An Arab band, scattered yesterday by a strong Haganah attack, reassembled today at the Arab village of El Aris and attacked Holon. The Jewish militia drove there off and then blasted their positions in a counter-attack. No report of casualtish has yet been received. Two explosions and the sound of machinegun fire was ## about noon in the Arab village of Lifta, adjoining Jerusalem.

IRGUN APPEALS TO ARABS FOR PEACE, CITING CASUALTIES IT HAS INFLICTED

The Irgun tonight broadcast a second appeal to the Arabs to “cease fire” or fame the consequences. Pointing out that the Irgun has caused more casualties among {SPAN}##gunmen within 48 hours than the Arabs have inflicted on the Jews during the past ## weeks, the underground state that it is not the Arabs but the British who want ## with the Jews.{/SPAN}Seventy Jewish prisoners, criminals and political offenders, were today re{SPAN}##{/SPAN} from the Jaffa jail and transferred to a lock-up at Petach Tikvah because of the continued tension in the Arab city. Thirty Jewish youths in a reform school at {SPAN}##llah{/SPAN} were transferred to the Jerusalem Central Prison. However, the government {SPAN}##inues{/SPAN} to refuse to transfer 30 Jewish women from the Bethlehem Women’s Prison {SPAN}##e{/SPAN} they are considered to be in danger.

Several British soldiers last night kidnapped a Jewish couple on King George ### one of the main streets of Jerusalem, best up the young man and threw him out of an army car on the cutskirts of the town. The girl was taken further from Jerusa## raped and left unconscious. Later, police, apparently notified by the soldiers, ##d her. About the same time, a half dozen British policemen in civilian clothes ##ked anti-Semitic slogans on a number of cafe windows in Tel Aviv.

Two British soldiers who left Haifa this morning in a car with a considerable ##ntity of food were missing tonight. The car was found on the coast road, but ##h the soldiers and the food were missing. It is suspected that they were robbed ### killed by Arab thieves. A British mail truck was held up near Acre and its con ##ts stolen by a band of 20 armed Jews, according to a government announcement.

MEIRSON MEETS WITH HIGH COMMISSIONER AND U.S. CONSUL ON SECURITY SITUATION

Mrs. Goldie Meirson, head of the Jewish Agency political office in Jerusalem, {SPAN}##t{/SPAN} this afternoon with High Commissioner Sir Alan G. Cunningham to protest the killing of Jews by the Arab Legion and to demand the immediate withdrawal of the Trans{SPAN}##rdan{/SPAN} troops from Jewish areas. She also protested the fact that British troops {SPAN}##e{/SPAN} still disarming Jews.

Earlier today, Mrs. Meirson met with U.S. Consul General Robert Macatee to ##om she reported concerning the general situation here and particularly the role of ##s Arab Legion. She asked Mr. Macatee to transmit the information to Washington ##mediately. It is understood that the Agency plans to forward the same information ### the United Nations:Commenting on the Naballah incident and the disarming of Jews by the British, an ##cy spokesman said: “We’re getting it from both ends. On one side we are attacked, and on the ther we are disarmed. This situation must change immediately.” He said that the Jewish Settlement Police had 18 armored cars, which they were prevented from ##ing by the government.

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