What Happened?

12 March 1946: The Royal Army Pay Corps’s headquarters, located at the Syrian Orphanage in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), was struck by explosives planted by Lehi. The militants split into four squads – two squads placed explosive barrels on the public avenues leading to the area. A third squad, armed with automatic weapons, opened fire at the building entrance.

Five militants snuck into the orphanage grounds, carrying 120 kilograms of explosives. They planted the explosives and destroyed a section of the building. Reports confirm that there were six additional incidents of shootings and attacks from Israeli militants in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) that night.

The purpose of the attack was to intimidate the British Government into lifting the curfew and martial law, proclaimed after kidnappings and terror attacks by Irgun and the Stern Gang. It worked, as the martial law was lifted four days later.

References

Bell, J. B. (1977). Terror out of Zion: The fight for Israeli independence. St. Martin’s Press.

Grunor, J. A. (2005). Let My People Go: The trials and tribulations of the people of Israel, and the heroes who helped in their independence from British colonization. iUniverse.

Pictorial and Evidence

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