[67]
The British had already formalised the principle of collective punishment in Palestine in the 1924–1925 Collective Responsibility and Punishment Ordinances and updated these ordinances in 1936 with the Collective Fines Ordinance.[1] These collective fines (amounting to £1,000,000 over the revolt[112]) eventually became a heavy burden for poor Palestinian villagers, especially when the army also confiscated livestock, destroyed properties, imposed long curfews and established police posts, demolished houses and detained some or all of the Arab men in distant detention camps.[1]
Full martial law was not introduced but in a series of Orders in Council and Emergency Regulations, 1936–37 ‘statutory’ martial law, a stage between semi-military rule under civil powers and full martial law under military powers, and one in which the army and not the civil High Commissioner was pre-eminent was put in place.[1][113] Following the Arab capture of the Old City of Jerusalem in October 1938, the army effectively took over Jerusalem and then all of Palestine.[1]
The main form of collective punishment employed by the British forces was destruction of property. Sometimes entire villages were reduced to rubble, as happened to Mi’ar in October 1938; more often several prominent houses were blown up and others were trashed inside.[1][85] The biggest single act of destruction occurred in Jaffa on 16 June 1936, when large gelignite charges were used to cut long pathways through the old city, destroying 220–240 buildings and rendering up to 6,000 Arabs homeless.[1] Scathing criticism for this action from Palestine Chief Justice Sir Michael McDonnell was not well received by the administration and the judge was soon removed from the country.[114] Villages were also frequently punished by fines and confiscation of livestock.[1] The British even used sea mines from the battleship HMS Malaya to destroy houses.[1]
In addition to actions against property, a large amount of brutality by the British forces occurred, including beatings, torture and extrajudicial killings.[1] A surprisingly large number of prisoners were “shot while trying to escape”.[1] Several incidents involved serious atrocities, such as massacres at al-Bassa and Halhul.[1]
Now I will never forget this incident … We were at al-Malikiyya, the other frontier base and word came through about 6 o’clock in the morning that one of our patrols had been blown up and Millie Law [the dead officer] had been killed. Now Gerald Whitfeld [Lieutenant-Colonel G. H. P. Whitfeld, the battalion commander] had told these mukhtars that if any of this sort of thing happened he would take punitive measures against the nearest village to the scene of the mine. Well the nearest village to the scene of the mine was a place called al-Bassa and our Company C were ordered to take part in punitive measures. And I will never forget arriving at al-Bassa and seeing the Rolls-Royce armoured cars of the 11th Hussars peppering Bassa with machine gun fire and this went on for about 20 minutes and then we went in and I remembered we had lighted braziers and we set the houses on fire and we burnt the village to the ground … Monty had him [the battalion commander] up and he asked him all about it and Gerald Whitfeld explained to him. He said “Sir, I have warned the mukhtars in these villages that if this happened to any of my officers or men, I would take punitive measures against them and I did this and I would’ve lost control of the frontier if I hadn’t.” Monty said “All right but just go a wee bit easier in the future.”[1]”
WIKIPEDIA
1936-1939 ARAV REVOLT IN PALESTINE/RESPONSE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
1936%E2%80%931939_Arab_revolt_ in_Palestine#Response ORIGINELE BRON
WIKIPEDIA
1936-1939 ARAB REVOLT IN PALESTINE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
1936%E2%80%931939_Arab_revolt_ in_Palestine ”The Arabs rejected the proposal and the revolt was stepped up during 1937 and 1938. In the face of the continued uprising, the British declared martial law, dissolving the Arab High Committee, and arresting officials of the organisation behind the revolt, the Supreme Muslim Council.
Five thousand Palestinians were killed in the revolts of 1935 to 1939 and more than 15,000 were wounded.”
ALJAZEERATHE HISTORY OF PALESTINIAN REVOLTS9 DECEMBER 2023ZIE VOOR GEHELE ARTIKEL, NOOT 63