|
Britain took "Palestine" in League of Nations settlement (Nov 02) Balfour Declaration 56,000 Jews in Holy Land The Zionist Organization undertook to place at the disposal of the Arab state a commission of experts to study economic possibilities and to try to obtain economic help. Judean Battalion of Britain: Both military units served to impact in allies favor the Gallipoli campaign, and played an especially notable part in the defeat of the Turks on the Jordan River and in driving the Turks out of eastern Palestine (Transjordan). (Dec 09) Turks surrender Jerusalem to British (Dec 11) General Allenby declared "martial law" in Jerusalem NILI decisively aids Britain in military maneuverings against Turks via its intelligence gathering Soon after the war began, Aaronson was afforded details of the extermination in cold blood by the Turks of some two million Armenian subjects of their empire. The leaders of the sill modest Jewish community bowed their heads to the storm. NILI, under Aaronson, "became probably the most important adviser at British HQ for the forthcoming invasion of Palestine under the Commander-in-Chief, General Allenby. Aaronson's encyclopedic knowledge of the terrain (and) current military information came through the NILI organization." "He was mainly responsible for the formation of my Field Intelligence Organization behind the Turkish lines." (Allenby) Sara Aaronson is captured by the Turks and tortured. She commits suicide to prevent their torturing her to the point of drawing information from her. From the black shores of Palestine, Sarah and her followers signaled information to the British. Sarah was caught. The Turkish police tried to torture the names of her Jewish followers out of her. Sarah pretended to faint under the torture. The ruse worked. Released for a moment, Sarah shot herself and died, with the names of her disciples locked in her skull. Hearing dimly of a new Zion being hatched in that same territory, and of the trickle of settlers heading for the new Zion, the Jews of the world stuck to their troubles at hand. They remained steadfastly in all the cities of the world where they were not too wanted or too esteemed. They were content to accept the inferiority or unpopularity of Jewishness, rather than to go wrestling with deserts. NILI agents Lishanky and Belkind are captured by the Turks and hanged. Djemal Pasha in Arabic leadership ... sent to Paris to join in peace conference Djemal Pasha "had treated the Jews of Palestine as a potential enemy, since he realized that to the Jews the Turks were the alien occupiers of their country and that Zionism was now an active force in the world. Djemal became ever more fierce in his repressions. Police brutality, economic discrimination, arbitrary arrests, and deportations were the constant companions of the Jews throughout the war. Of a population estimated at some 90,000 at its outbreak, less than 60,000 remained when it ended.. When war came, they (Arabs) fought to perpetuate Turkish imperial rule. Even when the British forces under Allenby, their path eased and smoothed by the NILI intelligence, finally swept into Palestine, there was no Arab rising behind the lines to help them rout the Turks.
|
