December 2nd, 1947 Arab violence in protest against Palestine partition plan

December 2^nd, 1947 Arab Murder, Mayhem, and Massacre – Lydda, Ramleh, Ben Shemen

“Arab threats of violence in protest against the Palestine partition plan materialized today in stoning and stabbing attacks against Jews and in the burning and looting of their shops.  In reprisal, Jews burned an Arab-owned movie theatre and an Arab-owned garage.

[Eight Jews and six Arabs were killed in the Palestine clashes, according to an unofficial casualty list cited by The Associated Press.  The same compilation placed the number of wounded at thirty-two Jews and six Arabs.] …

At that time the Jews were an unruly, belligerent mob and it seemed certain that blood would have run in Jerusalem’s streets if they had had their way.  However, before they could have reached the Arabs, who were in the lower part of town, in the direction of the Old City, the Jews would have had to penetrate Haganah defense lines composed of scores of men stretched across a street, their arms linked, and beyond that, roadblocks of police and the military…

Among those killed was Max Pinn, 40, head of the Department of Trade and Transfer in the Jewish Agency for Palestine…

Two Jews were killed and one was wounded when an army truck in which they were riding was fired upon near Jaffa…

Other attacks were reported from Jaffa, Famleh, Lydda and Safad…

The trouble in Jerusalem began when a crowd of 200 to 300 young Arabs marched from the Walled City into the central business section about 9 o’clock in the morning and began smashing show windows and looting…

A group of several hundred Arabs were ranging the border between Tel Aviv and the all-Arab city of Jaffa.  The explosion of grenades and the rattle of machinegun fire between the Arabs and defenders of Tel Aviv was heard for a long period during the night and then subsided into an ‘armed pause’ when British police in armored cars routed the combatants.”

Source: New York Times December 3^rd, 1947