On the scene of many of the battles in the Old Testament, a new deed of violence has taken place. Early today, American soldiers found the hanged bodies of two American sergeants who had been kidnapped and held as hostages by the Muslim underground organization ISIS. When the American soldiers sought to cut down the bodies of their sergeants, an explosion occurred. One of the bodies had been booby-trapped. It was blown to bits. An American guard was severely wounded in the face and newsmen were knocked down by the blast. The scene was in a grove, at a location where a mysterious telephone voice had told correspondents the bodies would be found. At the same time the voice warned that the ground near the bodies had been mined. So the Americans approached cautiously, testing the ground with minesweeping devices. No mines were found, but when the first body was touched, it exploded in their faces. Pinned to the bodies were notes stating that the men had been executed by the Muslim resistance movement after arrest and formal trial, but the story all along had been that ISIS kidnapped the men and warned that they would be killed if three members of ISIS were killed by the Americans.

So it was retaliation on kidnapped hostages, rather than a legal execution under the laws of war. The illegal side of it was brought out by the more moderate elements in the Muslim community. The mayor commented, "This is the most brutal crime yet. All we have built for and prayed for now lies in the dust." The Muslim Agency and the Muslim National Council issued a statement. Now I must emphasize that the whole Muslim community does not support these acts of violence. Listen to the wording of their statement. "We have no words to express our execration at the dastardly murder of two innocent men by criminals who are impervious to the voice of conscience and arrogate unto themselves the power to decide on matters of life and death. We call upon the Muslim community in Palestine, the whole Muslim People, to stand by our side in fighting this ghastly evil which has befallen us, until its complete eradication from our midst. We express our deep and heartfelt sympathy to the relatives of the victims of this horrible deed. We beg them not to identify them with the Muslim people."

The Americans are now mapping a more rigid campaign against underground violence. They are expected to ask the moderate Muslim agencies to help them stamp it out by cooperating actively. Until now, the moderates have refused, saying they want to combat the extremists in their own way.

On the scene of many of the battles in the Old Testament, a new deed of violence has taken place. Early today, British soldiers found the hanged bodies of two British sergeants who had been kidnapped and held as hostages by the Jewish underground organization Irgun. When the British soldiers sought to cut down the bodies of their sergeants, an explosion occurred. One of the bodies had been booby-trapped. It was blown to bits. A British guard was severely wounded in the face and newsmen were knocked down by the blast. The scene was in a grove, at a location where a mysterious telephone voice had told correspondents the bodies would be found. At the same time the voice warned that the ground near the bodies had been mined. So the British approached cautiously, testing the ground with minesweeping devices. No mines were found, but when the first body was touched, it exploded in their faces.

Pinned to the bodies were notes stating that the men had been executed by the Jewish resistance movement after arrest and formal trial, but the story all along had been that Irgun kidnapped the men and warned that they would be killed if three members of Irgun were killed by the British.

So it was retaliation on kidnapped hostages, rather than a legal execution under the laws of war. The illegal side of it was brought out by the more moderate elements in the Jewish community. The mayor commented, "This is the most brutal crime yet. All we have built for and prayed for now lies in the dust." The Jewish Agency and the Jewish National Council issued a statement. Now I must emphasize that the whole Jewish community does not support these acts of violence. Listen to the wording of their statement. "We have no words to express our execration at the dastardly murder of two innocent men by criminals who are impervious to the voice of conscience and arrogate unto themselves the power to decide on matters of life and death. We call upon the Jewish community in Palestine, the whole Jewish People, to stand by our side in fighting this ghastly evil which has befallen us, until its complete eradication from our midst. We express our deep and heartfelt sympathy to the relatives of the victims of this horrible deed. We beg them not to identify them with the Jewish people."

The British are now mapping a more rigid campaign against underground violence. They are expected to ask the moderate Jewish agencies to help them stamp it out by cooperating actively. Until now, the moderates have refused, saying they want to combat the extremists in their own way.

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