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 127

127 Para. 26 et seq. 16. It is noted with regret that in the description of the Arab general strike no mention whatever is made of the fact that the Arab Higher Committee and their Chairman, the Mufti of Jerusalem, were actively engaged in encouraging this strike and that the Mufti, with the express permission of the authorities, made a trip throughout the country, visiting Jenin, Haifa and other places, and conducting an active propaganda in favour of the general strike which formed the basis of the campaign of murder and sabotage. Para. 30 (sub-para. 1). 17. In the summary of the damage done in the course of the disturbances contained in para. 30 and in similar references elsewhere in the Report no mention is made of the fact that all the malicious destruction and sabotage of communications referred to were carried out by Arabs only. Para. 30 (sub-para. 3). 18. It is submitted that the statement that in Haifa Town the Arab strike remained widespread is inaccurate. Many Arab shops in the town remained open and Arab workmen continued their work in considerable numbers. Similarly, in several large enterprises situated in the close vicinity of Haifa, Arabs and Jews continued to work together during the greater part of the period of the disturbances, as for example, at the Nesher Cement Works and the Zur Stone Quarry. In the Haifa Port from 600 to 1,300 Arabs worked throughout the disturbances. All the employees of the mixed Municipality of Haifa remained at their posts. Hundreds of Arabs continued to serve the Public Works Department, the Iraq Petroleum Company, the Shell Company, and other large business concerns. Only for one week — from August 9th to the 17th, — could the strike be said to have been at all effective in Haifa. 19. The Report is silent on the fact that the Jewish Agency constantly urged Government to authorise the arming of the Jewish settlements and town quarters for purposes of self-defence. It was not until June 24, 1936, that Government began to enroll Jewish supernumerary police in substantial numbers, the expenditure being shared by Government and the Jewish settlements, subject even then to the condition that their activities be restricted only to the perimeter of the settlements in which they were stationed. In spite of urgent appeals by the Jewish Agency, it was only on March 11, 1937, that these supernumeraries were generally allowed to defend Jewish agricultural and other property outside the perimeter of the residential areas of the colonies. Para. 33. 20. The Jewish Agency cannot agree that adequate protection was afforded to Jewish shops in the commercial centre of Jerusalem, or that adequate steps were taken by the authorities to suppress and punish the activities of those who were carrying out intimidation