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Haganah Issues “Last Warning” to Dissident Groups to Cease Extorting Funds from Jews

July 3, 1947
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The Haganah tonight issued a "last warning" to the dissident groups to cease extorting money from members of the Jewish community, or strong measures will be taken to stop them. The warning comes after yesterday’s incident, during which the Haganah routed Irgunists who were attempting to extort money from a shopkeeper here.

Persistent reports from highly reliable sources say that the government is continuing its underground efforts to weaken the Haganah and to strengthen Arab extremists. Police officers have been distributing money and arms to Arabs, and their efforts to incite them against the Jews have been successful in some cases, the reports revealed. Arabs in the north are reported ready to launch wide-scale attacks, while those living in mixed Arab-Jewish regions are reluctant to stir up trouble.

The government is said to have a three-fold aim: weakening of the Haganah, so that it would be unable to fight effectively against either the Arabs or dissident Jewish groups; incite Arab-Jewish disturbances to divert Jewish attacks on the British; and provoke incidents which will aid the military recruiting campaign scheduled to open in England shortly. These reports indicate that the British Middle East military authorities plan to bring another 75,000 troops into Palestine on the pretext that more protection is needed for the Arabs.

Seven armed men, reported to be Jews, today robbed the Kupat Milveh Bank in Haifa of $3,200. They eacaped (##) waiting car. Three of the attackers were stationed outside the bank, while the others forced the manager and cashier to open the vaults.

The Haganah said last night that immigration of visaless Jews, which it announced last month had been temporarily suspended, will be resumed shortly. A spokesman said that despite the many obstacles placed in the way by the British, both through naval blockades and the exertion of political pressure on European countries, the Haganah hopes to fulfill the largest part of its 1947 quota.

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