Palestine: Statement of Information Relating to Acts of Violence, Cmd. 6873 – 1946.

Returning and Redemption

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This is a statement of information presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the acts of violence committed by the various Jewish illegal para-military organizations against the British forces in Palestine in the years 1945 and 1946.

Summary and Excerpt

Explanatory Notes, p. 2

-Notes on the three para-military organizations in Palestine

Jewish Attacks on British in Palestine – 1945-46, pp. 3-9

-Attack on Railways, Police Launches and Haifa Refinery – 31st October-1st November 1945, pp. 3-6

“The Palmach carried out widespread attacks on the Palestinian Railway system. The line was blown in 135 places in all, completely disrupting it…Three police launches were destroyed by explosives, two at Haifa and one at Jaffa. The same night, Irgun Zvai Leumi attacked Lydda Station and Yards causing damage to three locomotives, the destruction of a one signal box, and the burning of an engine shed. Several casualties were inflicted, including the death of one British soldier. A further attempt was made on the same night by the Stern Group to blow up the Oil Refinery at Haifa.”

“These operations were widely publicised by the Jewish illegal broadcasting station, Kol Israel, as follows-

‘…We lament the British, Arab, and Jewish victims who fell in the attacks on the railways and ports of Palestine. They are all victims of the White Paper.”’

-Attacks on Haifa Radar Station, Palestine Mobile Force Camps, and Airfields – 20th-25th February 1946, pp. 7-8

“On 20th February, 1946, the Palmach attacked the R.A.F. Radar Station, Haifa, blowing it up…Two days later the Palmach carried out coordinated attacks on Palestine Mobile Force Camps…On 25th February, the Irgun Zvai Leumi and Stern Group followed this up with attacks on airfields…destroying seven aircraft and damaging eight others.”

“These incidents were described in a Kol Israel broadcast of the 3rd March, 1946-

‘…The attack on the Radar Station on Mount Carmel was aimed at destroying one of the principal agents of the Government in its hunt for Jewish refugees. The sabotage of the airfields was the sabotage of a weapon which has been degraded from its glorious fight against the evil forces of Nazis to the dishonourable task of fighting against the victims of Nazism.’”

-Attacks on Road and Rail Bridges, Railway Workshops and Kidnapping of British Officers – 16th to 18th June 1946, pp. 8-9

“During the evening of 16th June, 1946, Hagana carried out attacks on road and rail bridges on the frontier of Palestine…Four road and four rail bridges were destroyed or damaged during the night, and one road bridge across the Jordan was destroyed…One British officer of the Royal Engineers was killed by the explosion. The following evening the Stern Group carried out an attack on the Haifa Railway Workshops. On 18th June, 1946, five British officers were kidnapped…in Tel Aviv and a sixth British officer was kidnapped in a main street in Jerusalem.”

“Kol Israel Broadcast. 18th June, 1946-

‘…These objectives were chosen to disturb British bases and communications, to prevent the Arabs of the neighbouring countries who talked so much about coming to fight the Jews in Palestine, and to mark the closing up of these frontiers before Jewish immigrants.’”

-Conclusion, pp. 9-10