UN Palestine Commission – Hebrew political prisoners – Memorandum from the Hebrew Cttee of National Liberation

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UNITED NATIONS PALESTINE COMMISSION

Memorandum From the Hebrew Committee of National
 Liberation Regarding Hebrew Political. Prisoners
 Detained by the British Government

The attached memorandum was handed in to the Secretariat by two representatives of the Hebrew Committee of National Liberation on 22 January 1948 with the request that it be called to the attention of the Commission.

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MEMORANDUM
REGARDING HEBREW POLITICAL PRISONERS DETAINED BY
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT

Prepared by THE HEBREW COMMITTEE OF NATIONAL LIBERATION

2315 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W.

Washington, D. C.

13 January 1948

MEMO ON HEBREW PRISONERS

I. THE PRESENT SITUATION

There are today three categories of Hebrew prisoners held by the British for acts of war against the Palestine Administration. These are:

(a) Prisoners who have been tried and convicted by British military courts on political charges.

(b) Prisoners who are being detained administratively, without charge or trial, and are being held in Palestinian ' camps.

(c) Prisoners who are being detained administratively, without charge or trial, and have been deported to the concentration camps at Gilgil, Kenya.

(d) Hebrew prisoners in the British zone of Germany, held for political acts.

There are about two hundred convicted prisoners, about six hundred prisoners detained in Palestine without charge, and about four hundred prisoners detained in Kenya, also without charge, in all over a thousand prisoners, and about tan prisoners in Germany.

II. THE CONDITIONS OF DETENTION

The prisoners held in Palestine are guarded by Arab and British guards. Recently the security situation deteriorated to such an extent that all Hebrew prisoners were moved from the Acre Prison to the Jerusalem Prison. Also, all the Hebrew women detainees were moved from the Bethlehem Women’s Prison to a Woman’s detention camp in Atlit. However, there are still five convicted Hebrew women prisoners in the Women’s Jail in Bethlehem and there are about five hundred Hebrew men prisoners in the Latrun camp. Both Bethlehem and Latrun are far removed from any Hebrew locality and the prisoners are at the absolute mercy of their guards. There is also a great risk of the Arabs staging an attack against either Bethlehem or Latrun and in such a case it is to be expected that the guards will not offer any serious resistance and a massacre of the absolutely defenseless prisoners will result. The conditions in Jerusalem are somewhat better because the prison is situated in the center of a city with a large Hebrew majority, but there too the prisoners are at the mercy of their Arab and British guards.

In Kenya, although there is no danger of an Arab attack, there exists considerable tension between the prisoners and their guards which once resulted in the guards shooting and killing two prisoners and wounding fifteen ethers.

III. SUGGESTIONS

It is suggested that:

(a) The three hundred Hebrew detainees deported to Kenya be repatriated to Palestine.

(b) The emergency laws permitting the detention of persons without trial be abolished and that consequently the seven hundred fifty detainees of Kenya, Latrun and Atilt be released.

(c) An amnesty be given to all Hebrew prisoners in Palestine and Germany convicted for political acts, and that all such prisoners be released.

IV. THE REASONS BEHIND THE SITUATION

After Britain’s declaration that it will leave Palestine in 1948, thus acceding to the extreme demands of the Hebrew underground, there does not seam to be any reason for the continuation of the conflict between the two sides. The fact that the conflict is still going on is due to an apparent determination on the part of the British to take the maximum vengeance on its erstwhile Palestinian foes before leaving their country. The holding of over a thousand Hebrew prisoners is today completely unwarranted. The fact that this situation is tolerated by the United Nations has a considerable demoralizing effect not only on the members of the Hebrew underground, but on the whole Hebrew nation. The Hebrews feel that they should not be uselessly martyrized in order to satisfy the lust for vengeance of a British police force.