April 26, 1948 Statement of High-Ranking British Officer in Haifa

A high-ranking British officer, in a report to Police Headquarters in Jerusalem, dated April 26^th, 1948, in Haifa stated:

“Every effort is being made by the Jews to persuade the Arab population to stay and carry on with their normal lives, to get their shops and businesses open and to be assured that their lives and interests will be safe.”

Two days later, the same officer reported:

“The Jews are still making every effort to persuade the Arab population to remain and settle back to their normal lives in the town.”

These appeals produced little effect, as the Arab papers and broadcasting stations warned the population not to heed the Jewish assurances.

Source: The Arab Refugees. (p. 13); Reproduced photostatically in “The Army of Israel” by M. Pearlman, Philosophical Library, New York, 1950, p. 116.; Jerusalem: the Government of Israel, November, 1953