Captain CAZALETasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any further statement to make regarding the disturbances in Jaffa on Sunday the 19th April; in particular, whether the High Commissioner has issued any statement in connection therewith; and, if so, what were its contents?
Mr. THOMASThe statement which I circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT on 23rd April contains such information regarding the events of Sunday, the 19th April, as was then available. I have since received the text of the communiqué issued by the High Commissioner on that day, which is as follows
The High Commissioner regrets to announce that disturbances occurred in Jaffa this morning involving several casualties. Owing to false rumours (which were at once officially contradicted) that Arabs had been killed crowds assembled about 11 o'clock in the Manshia quarter of Jaffa and disturbances arose in the course of which several attacks were made on Jews. The police intervened promptly and by early afternoon order was restored and the situation was completely under control.The casualties so far as is known were as follows: Seven Jews were killed, 11 seriously injured, and 28 slightly injured. Two Arabs were killed, one seriously injured and 14 slightly injured. Three rounds in all were fired under direct control of superior police officers after due warning had been given, one round when the crowd refused to disperse and two rounds in order to stop a murderous assault actually in progress. The death of two Arabs mentioned above as killed resulted from these shots.As a precautionary measure the Defence Order-in-Council has been proclaimed empowering the High Commissioner to put emergency regulations into operation and a curfew regulation has accordingly been imposed at Jaffa and Tel Aviv requiring inhabitants to be within doors between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. No incidents are reported from any other part of the country.