Political report of the Executive of the Jewish Agency submitted to the ... Zionist Congress and the ... session of the Council of the Jewish Agency · 1937-08-01 · 8.1937 · p. Seite 86

86 minai act including the murder of innocent people, have not diminished since then but, on the contrary, have increased. Yesterday two old Jews were murdered in the Old City of Jerusalem in broad daylight and it is to be feared that more serious outbreaks of violence may yet occur. 3. We cannot regard the guilt as attaching only to the miserable individuals committing crimes. The responsibility for this criminal activity rests upon the instigators and leaders who are kindling a fire of racial hatred and strife in the country. These criminal acts are pointed to in the Arab press with pride and rejoicing. Members of the "Supreme Committee" who are stirring up excitement and organising demonstrations in violation of the law and in defiance of your warning never once attempted to call upon the Arab masses to desist from acts of crime. Not one article appeared in the Arab press deprecating or discouraging these crimes. On the contrary, the open incitement in the press, at meetings, in mosques and at demonstrations against the Jewish community of Palestine and the Jewish people as a whole is gaining strength. 4. We regret to have to state that the policy of Government since the commencement of the disturbances has, in our view, contributed to a large extent to the development of the present situation. We desire to record our recognition of the continuous and devoted efforts of the Police, both at headquarters and in their various stations, in guarding the settlements, putting out fires in the fields and apprehending offenders : we realise that the best police force in the world could not prevent every isolated case of crime. We must submit, however, that Government's policy of tolerating dangerous acts of incitement and defiance of authority, carried on for weeks in an organised and public manner—a policy which virtually gave legal sanction to a group of persons to proclaim and conduct a general racial strike, to call to civil disobedience and to challenge the supreme law of the country—cannot be absolved from responsibility for the present disturbed situation and possible graver developments. 5. On the 29th of April it was submitted to Your Excellency that in this country whe^e even peaceful picketing by workmen in a racial labour dispute is prohibited, it is inconceivable that the proclamation of a general racial strike, directed against the rights and security of existence of another race, should be permitted. We pointed out the serious danger to security of life and property involved in such a strike, which was being accompanied by acts of violence and criminal incitement; we stressed particularly the strange fact that strikes had been declared in Government works and that amongst those at the head of the strike were occupants of official positions, such as the Head of the Supreme