Evening star., 1947-07-13
| Martial Law Ordered
As Palestine Awaits
Release Of I Britons
By the Assoeiotsd Press

JERUSALEM, July 12.-Military
authorities announced tonight that
martial law and an intensive search
in the area around the all-Jewish
town of Natanya would begin at
dawn, tomorrow unless two British
sergeants kidnapped and beaten to-
day are returned alive by that time.
A reliable source said Mayor Owed
Ben Ami of Natanya had been noti-
fled by Irgun Zvai Leumi, under
ground Jewish fighters. that the two
men. apparently taken as hostages
for three Irgun members held under
death sentences, would not be re-
turned.
The mayor conferred with Brig.
J. N. r. Moore, British military COM
mander. and reported that Brig.
Moore reluctantly decided" to be-
gin combing Jewish settlements and
Arab villages around Natanya at
dawn.
Army and Palestine police cor
doned off q 2OO-square- mile area OF
the Holy Lands rolling coastal plain
and large numbers of troops were
thrown into the area to seek the
men who were abducted early today
Haxana Abandons Search.
This action provoked the with
drawal from the hunt OF many
members of Hagana, the so-called
Jewish national defense army. Ha-
CANA previously had Joined the
soldiers and police as part Of the
organizations intention to stamp
out in its own way violence caused
by underground Jewish dissidents
in Palestine"
Hagana members said they were
withdrawing because of "interfer-
ence" by the army and police which
they considered violation of the
military's promise to give Hagana an
opportunity to free the men.
The two sergeants were seized in
front of cafe in Natanya, 40 miles
north of Tel Aviv by group Of
to II men. The police report on
the kidnapping said they were chloro-
formed.
Police said the sergeants may have
been kidnapped as hostages for the
three Irgun members, who were
condemned to death by the British
for participating in the May 4 prison
break at Acre.
Their sentences have been con-
firmed by the. Palestine military
commander and are before Sir Alan
Cunningham, the high commits
sioner, for possible communication.
Clerk Frees Self.
The two sergeants, Clifford Mar
tin and Mervin PAIGE, members of
the army's special investigation
squad, and a Jewish civilian clerk
named Weinberg, were seized by the
abductors shortly after midnight.
Weinberg was tied up and placed
in an orange grove later. He lib
Grated himself with the aid of per-
sons from = nearby house and re-
ported the abduction to military
authorities.
Weinberg said the two sergeants
were both rather badly beaten.
While we we're in the car my shirt
and trousers were stained all over
with blood from their wounds.
The Hagana parties centered their
search in Natanya, but the British
troops established a perimeter along
the Haifa Tel Aviv road and around
some 40 square miles of the Ma
tanya vicinity.
New Plea Made to Arabs.
A month ago two British police
men were abducted from a Ramat
Gan swimming pool apparently as
hostages for Irgun, but they escaped
the following day. .-. J
Meanwhile, delegates of the
United Nations Special Committee
on Palestine took the day OF before
starting tomorrow their fourth week
of fact finding. In an effort to get
the Arabs to change their minds on
the boycott Of the committee invi-
tations were sent last week to the
Arab countries offering to switch
the hearings to any capital the
Arabs choose. The only reply to
date has been fiat mot interested"
from the Palestine Arabs.
The committee has completed
most of the testimony from Jewish
groups, which SINNERS down in
most instances to reluctant accept
ance of the idea of partition.