FROM OUR ARCHIVES

65 YEARS AGO

On February 24, 1948, The Palestine Post reported that British prime minister Clement Attlee had personally intervened on hearing about the Ben-Yehuda Street bomb outrage, perpetrated by an uniformed British army convoy in an armored car as a result of which 44 Jews died and more than 130 were wounded. Twenty-five had not yet been identified. Eyewitnesses claimed that the trucks belonged to the army and the police and that people who alighted from them were in army and police dress. But the police and the British Army claimed that all armored cars were identified and could not participate in the bombing and that the real perpetrators of this outrage were still being sought. The BBC reported after the outrage that Jerusalem was “quiet again after anti-British demonstration by Jews.”

The murderous attack in BenYehuda Street began a chain of incidents in which three Jews, seven British soldiers and two British airmen were killed. Heavy firing and explosions were heard all day.

Six members of the UN Palestine Commission arrived in London on their way to Palestine.

50 YEARS AGO

On February 24, 1963, The Jerusalem Post reported that foreign minister Golda Meir explained that the new Middle East peace plan, as suggested by Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah “was unacceptable... and only Israel could say what is, or is not acceptable to her.” Reviewing the recent Moshi Conference of African States, Meir said that Israel could not behave towards the new African states on the cold principle of “what we have given we must get in return.” Such an attitude would only endanger our position on that continent and vitiate all our efforts there.

In Abidjan, Ivory Coast president Felix Houphouet-Bogny had lauded Israel’s example in Africa. He said Israel had earned a special place in the Ivory Coast by virtue of its example, the influence of its ideals, its doctrine and methods.

A gush of oil was struck at Kochav 5.

Solel Boneh was in the running for a $30m. hospital job abroad.

25 YEARS AGO

On February 24, 1988, The Jerusalem Post reported that fresh efforts appeared to be under way to arrange a meeting between Palestinians and US secretary of state George Shultz during his forthcoming Middle Eastern shuttle.

The IDF was taking steps to reinstruct soldiers serving in the West Bank and Gaza on the legal aspects of the use of force in quelling disturbances.

Prime minister Yitzhak Shamir told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel will not leave areas even under outside pressure.

– Alexander Zvielli