Published: 20 April 2021
Last updated: 4 March 2024
ON MAY 14, 1948, after nearly 28 years, the British Mandate over Palestine ended with the founding of the State of Israel.
Now over 5,000 documents declassified by the State Archives shed a light on the last decade of British rule, exposing the yet untold story of a long series of events where soldiers wounded and killed Jews living in the region.
Some of these files show that the British tried to cover up the killing, documenting killings made in cold blood as acts of self-defence or misfires.
The State Archives say that in many cases, the families of the dead were not informed about subsequent investigations.
Among the files uncovered are the Ra'anana Police records, which show for the first time the British point of view in the infamous killing of the "Lehi Children."
On November 12, 1947, British troops attacked a house in Ra'anana where Lehi was conducting a firearm course for a group of youths.
In the attack, 4 children aged 15-18 and a 19-year-old instructor were killed.
Already at the time, the British were blamed for killing the children in cold blood. According to testimonies, the group did not fire back and were mowed down while running away from the house.
FULL STORY Revealed: How UK covered up killings of Jews in pre-state Palestine (Ynet)
Photo: A British soldier guarding the fenced off Tel Aviv central bus station during a curfew imposed under martial law in 1947 (Photo: GPO)
