Anarchy in Palestine Last Monday a bomb exploded in the
Arab market-place at Haifa, killing 45 Arabs and wounding 45 others. It started inter-racial fighting in which Jews were the principal sufferers. The incident unfortunately is not an isolated one. In many parts of Palestine, both in the towns and the villages, outrages upon life and property have occurred with alarming frequency. Until recently the Arabs were the principal culprits, but during the last few weeks Jews have violently retaliated, and both sides are resorting to the extremes of terrorism. The condition is that of sporadic civil war with which up to the present neither the police nor the troops, reinforced as they have been, have been able to cope. Never before has British prestige in Palestine been at so low an ebb. The civil administration, employing the methods of a government in time of peace, is obviously incapable of dealing with the situation. The introduction of military law would, of course, be no solution of the main problem, but since it is the first duty of a government to keep order, military law for the time being may have to be adopted. To stop the present intolerable condition of anarchy is the immediate necessity. The home Government must then think again and think quickly, so that it may be able to declare with exactitude its plans for the future.
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