§ 70 and 71. Mr. GALLACHERasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) whether he is aware that, on 27th May, a force consisting of 250 British soldiers with 12 armoured cars entered the village of Kafr Misr, near Beisan, and burned a number of Arab dwellings; what was the total number of dwellings burnt; whether the collective fines ordinance is being administered there; what money has been collected under this ordinance as a punitive measure in the village of Kafr Kanna under the direction of the assistant district commissioner and the district superintendent of police; and on what grounds this levy was imposed;
(2) whether he is aware that in the village of Kakoon, near Tulkarm, a force of Arab and British police entered a house in the early morning in search of arms; that because an Arab policeman refrained from commencing the search until the Arab inmate of the house, who was making his morning prayer, had finished his prayer, the Arab policeman was shot dead by a British colleague; and what steps have been taken to settle the strike or revolt among the Arab police in Tulkarm and Jaffa resulting from this incident?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI am not aware of any strike or revolt having occurred among the Arab police at Tulkarm and Jaffa, but I am asking the High Commissioner for Palestine for information as to the incidents referred to by the hon. Member.
§ Mr. GALLACHERArising out of that answer and the limitation of information which it indicates, may I ask whether any instructions have been given to the Press of this country not to report anything favourable to the Arabs in Palestine or anything against the British Administration in Palestine?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GORECertainly not. There is no such censorship or attempted censorship of the Press of this country.