British troops transfer newly-arrived refugees onto ships heading back to Cyprus in 1946 (Screenshot of newsreel footage from YouTube)
In this newsreel from 1946 Haifa, nearly 4,000 Jewish refugees arrive in Haifa on the Knesset Israel, only to be stopped by British troops.
“When she docked, violent resistance broke out against troops ordered to transfer the Jewish refugees to a ship, presumably bound for Cyprus,” the narrator announces.
“Fire hoses and tear gas were used in a battle lasting half an hour,” he continues, “during which a number of the refugees jumped overboard, apparently intending to swim ashore.”
In the end, despite the refugees’ fierce resistance, the transfer was completed. The violent battle left casualties on both sides.
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(The Associated Press and Movietone News recently released their vast video archives on YouTube, allowing the public to freely access a million minutes worth of historical news clips dating back to 1895 — including many iconic scenes from Israel’s history featured in this Times of Israel series.)
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