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the building from which the shots were fired. On February 9, one shot was fired at the guard of the barricade in front of the National Institutions Building, apparently from a nearby British position; he was not hurt. On February 23, a shooting incident developed and two British armored vehicles fired at unknown people on King George Street. The National Institutions Building was damaged from shooting. Two days later, 23-year-old Rachel Cohen, who stood near the National Institutions Building, was injured from shots fired from a British armored vehicle. On March 4, shots were fired again from a British armored vehicle and bullets penetrated the National Institutions Building.
And of course, there was the worst terrorist bombing at the National Institutions Building on March 11, 1948, for which an entire chapter of this book is dedicated (pp. 00-00). In this case, the building was not merely in the background of hostile activity in the area, but rather was severely damaged itself.
Later, in the summer of 1948, shells fired by the Jordanians had fallen several times in the area of the National Institutions Building and once even in the square in its front.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that even in between the shootings and shelling, decisions were still made in the building which concerned both the situation in Jerusalem and general issues.
On March 7, four days before the explosion, the KKL-JNF Board of Directors decided to extend a large sum of 100 thousand Palestine Pounds to the Jerusalem Development Association "to assist in development of economic enterprises, encourage public and private construction, to arrange housing for industrial factories and work." KKL-JNF also committed to assist Jerusalem later on in the purchase of lands in the city and its surroundings and assisting its economy. In the same discussion, the KKL-JNF Board of Directors also decided to allocate 10,000 Palestine Pounds for the development of the colony of Naharia, for the purpose of strengthening the Jewish settlements outside of the partition map.
In those days of siege and struggle in March 1948, the Jewish National Council announced that "the Cultural Department of the Council conducts its activities despite the wartime conditions." Among those activities: Hebrew classes to thousands of new Olim, lectures and parties throughout the Land of Israel on cultural and social issues and even cultural and public relations activities in the refugee camps in Europe, in order to prepare the Holocaust survivors for their Aliya to the Land of Israel.
To this we must add the usual ritual that took place every day at 12:00 PM precisely: A press conference of local and foreign journalists with the Spokesman of the Jewish Agency, and sometimes with experts, which dealt with issues of security, the situation in the Arab sector, relations with the Mandate Authorities and more. The meeting took place in the meeting hall of the Jewish Agency and any self-respecting journalist would arrive there in order to hear first-hand the position of the Jewish side in the violent conflict that continued to escalate. On the day of the massive bombing, March 11, 1948, dozens of foreign reporters called the offices of the Jewish
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