“British H.Q. in Palestine is Blown Up”

Original issue of the Evening Standard, published in London on Monday, 22 July 1946, carrying a dramatic same-day front-page report of the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.

The King David Hotel housed major offices of the British Mandatory administration in Palestine, including the Government Secretariat and military headquarters. On 22 July 1946, the southern wing of the building was bombed by members of Irgun during the Jewish insurgency against British rule. The attack became one of the most consequential and controversial episodes of the final years of the British Mandate.

This issue is particularly interesting as an immediate contemporary British newspaper account, published before the full scale of the disaster was known. The front page headline reads:

“BRITISH H.Q. IN PALESTINE IS BLOWN UP”

with the subheading:

“10 killed, 50 hurt: Women trapped”

Later accounts recorded a far higher death toll, with 91 people killed, including Arabs, Britons, Jews and others. The early casualty figures printed here therefore capture the uncertainty and urgency of the first reports reaching London.

The report appears prominently on the front page and continues on the back page. The front page also includes a photograph of Sir Alan Cunningham, High Commissioner for Palestine, under the caption “Palestine chief in London.”

A notable piece of Mandate Palestine, British Empire, Middle East, Jewish insurgency and post-war political history. This is not a later commemorative printing or modern reproduction, but an original contemporary newspaper from the day of the bombing.

Condition:
Original newspaper, complete, 8 pages. Approx. 43 x 32 cm. Folded twice. Good overall condition for age, with light handling wear and a few minor marks. Please see scan for condition and layout.