1941-07-03 — Page 9

THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 3, 1941

CHURCHILL'S CALL AWAITED BY PALESTINE JEWS

(THE POSITION OF THE Jews in Palestine has become in- creasingly difficult as hostilities in the Near East threaten the pre- carious balance between Jewish and Arab racial groups. The fol- lowing article studies the situation from the Jewish viewpoint.) Recent developments in Syria have brought home to the people of Palestine the fact that they are in serious danger of an Italo-German invasion.

As the drive against the Suez Canal is ap- proaching, the Jews hope to be permitted to organise a Jewish Army. Half a milion Jews are waiting in Palestine for the day when they may come to grips with the enemy of their race on equal terms.

persecution. They built An Axis invasion of Palestine ligious

the land of may come overland, through Tur-¡themselves homes in key.

The Germans may also use their ta'hers, wresting every inch What is left of the Italian fleet of grain from the desert, the mar- to force a landing in the Holy, shes, the stony hills of Judea, and Land as a move to outflank Tur- in face of Arab enmity and ter- key. A simultaneous attack on rorizm. They are mostly able- Gibraltar might divert the British bodied and courageous young peo- Mediterranean squadrons long ple. Perhaps one in five among enough to permit such

them Is a refugee from Nazi ter- ror. They tempt.

a hardy, daring colonial pioneers, re- breed of

early American miniscent of the settlers.

an

ut

The Italian bases in the Dodo. canese Islands are only an hour by fast warplane from the Pales-

The country could bel tine coast.

are

These Jewish peasants have sufficiently softened" by aerial learned to plow the soil with one

the blow-handle attacks to prepare for its inva-hand on sion.

Routes Of Possible Invasion

The invasion of Palestine could Syria. also be undertaken from

now largely

WARDROBE GIVEN

WOMEN PRISONERS

Women

released

from California's pri- son for women can face the world with considerable sartorial

assurance.

When an inmate's release date nears, the sewing room of 69 workers starts making her an outfit, indivi- dually tailored and fit- ted A serviceable suit,

dresses, two pyjamas, robe, under- wear and aprons included.

and 000

another On the rifle-trigger. Because of the constant menace of Arab raids they have also be- come expert in the traditional Arab craft of gun-running and munition hoarding. The weapons which they are believed to have

amassed would thus

compare

The Weygand army in Syria is effectives shipped to France. Only between 40,000 and 80,000 French troops now remain in Syria, If Vichy still has the loyalty of the mandatory government, an at tack on the Holy Land from the north is quite possible.

present demobilised and its before the

their own The Jewe want army to defend their own land. The plan is apparently hang. Ing fire, because Prime Minis. ter Churchill is mindful of its porrible repercussions in Arab world. It is an unenviable decision to reach.

the

The Arabs of Palestine, about a million of them, are by no means uniformly loyal to Britain's cause. There are "fifth columnists" with

out number bands o rebel fellaheen, who har- assed the British army for years. despite punitive expeditions with tanks, howitzers, and aeroplanes, are neither pacific underneath the surface, nor enthusiast'e about the English and Anzac troops.

among them. The

"Holy War Of Islam”

and the

ten's of

The Grand Mufti of Jeru ́alem, Taj Amin el Husseini, fled the

during the country

fighting in 1937, with a British price on his head. To-day he is still touring the courts of the Arab princes the. Beduin tribesmen and preaching a "Holy War of Islam" against the British "infidels." No one can tell how succeeding, but the much he is British may have to pay heavily, when the war shifts to the Near East.

are

'FORTUNES OF WAR'

about two Two stories favourably with those supplied brothers graphically illus-

to the war Arabs, by the agents of Germany trated the old phrase:

On both and Italy.

sides the "The fortunes of war." armament contains machine-guns,

In Rome, one brother, the Duke and hand grenades,

even light

of Spoleto, became the new King artillery pieces, it is said.

of Croatia, carved out of con- The actual dimensions of bothquered Yugoslavia. Arab and Jewish secret effec.

In the mountains of Ethiopia, tives may not be known until the other brother, the Duke of Then the Aosta, Viceroy of Ethiopia, sur- armories, which are now buried rendered his army of 38,000 men deep in the fields and orange to the British. plantations. or hidden honeycombed mountains of the desolate countryside, will be opened.

Invasion

comes.

in the

That the semi-military pre- paredness of the Jewish settlers is considerable may be deduced from the size of their secret self-defence The Haganah and organisation. the Irgun Zebal - Defence and Military Confederation respective- ly have around 100,000 inscribed members.

are

Military Exercises

When the Brtlich authorities opened the registration of civil defence volunteers, 136,000 Palestinian Jews offered their services within some 72 hours.

still

They are sons of a cousin of King Victor Emmanuel III.

FINDING OF HUGE

CRATER RECALLS

METEOR OF 1894

Discovery of a large crater near the base of southern Colorado's Sangre De Cristo Mountains has revived memories of a meteor which flashed across the sky 47

years ago.

an

was earth

Minninger, Denver Dr. H. H. natural scientist, said after The new organisation gave them aeroplane trip over the crater--300 an opportunity of much-coveted

feet wide and 30 feet deep-that military exercises, Until then it probably was gouged out by a they were obliged to get these meteorite. He plans a return trip

along deserted beaches, with instruments secretly,

for a scientific in darkened farm sheds, or in the investigation. Old timers say the barren hills of Judea and Galilee.

brilliant meteor's appearance Thousands of Jewish refugees nearly a half

century ago the filtering through

followed by a

roar and coastguard patrol into Palestine.

tremors. They land from Nazi-sponsored "despair boats," which ply their On the surface. Arab insur pathetic course from Balkan and rection came to an end with the Iberian ports. They come in outbreak of the war. The worm-eaten little craft from almoet total ban on Jewish im neighbouring Greek and Turkish migration and the restrictions islands. Many perish en route. against land purchases by Jews Others sink with their rotten ves- pacified the Arabo a good deal, sels almost in sight of the Pro- the London Government hoots. mised Land, or jump into the sea. These legislative measures hurt trying to swim ashore, while their

One Tampa draft registrant has the Jews badly. They need a ships are sneaking around the haven for their war refugees. coast to elude the British patrols. complied scrupulously with a re- But London has nothing to fear Yet many do reach land and quirement that he notify his local from them: their lovalty to the there they are put in concentra- board whenever he changed ad- "Ailled caure. In absolute.

tion camps. When they are finally dress--except for one detail, The Jewish Agency for Pales-released,

Four times in the past two these strong, daring, tine is knocking on the doors of desperate men add further leaven months he mailed the Board cards politibians in London and to the high fighting spirit of the saying "I have moved." Washington demanding a Jewish community. Army. Ita snokesmen point out. that 50.000 first-rate men could

be needily gathered and trained

Secrecy On Leaders' Names

"I HAVE MOVED"

WHERE?

them gave an address.

None of

of producing steel, ammunition. and small tanks, for the British. Middle East command, Thoir: textile and electrical Industries Supply a great part of the army's needs. Their farma and plantations feed. most of the Britlah divisions between Libya and India, BANG

in Palestine, while several times that number were ready to volim- teerinbroad. In two or three The leaders of the self-defence months the Agency could produce organisations are not known by a nuclear army. In two or three name even to their subordinates. years it could give" England be- The inspiration of most of them 1ween 300 000 and 400.000 men of is the memory of the late Vladimir the highest possible anti-Nazi Jabotinsky, World War comman- morale. The Jews would also be der of the Jewish Legion, and has been yielding to their clamor prepared to pay for the equip founder of the militant New ing very slowly. Some 8,000 Jews ment of their own army,

Zionist Organisation, Jabotinsley have been allowed to enlist in the passed on last year in New York. Britsh army. But they are not

Like Colonial Pioneers

The morale of Palestinian Jews has by now become proverbial. More than 425,000 of them have come into the Holy Land since 1020-fugitives from racial or re-]

So far the British Government

while he was seeking to organise kept in a separate or distinct the recruiting of young "American unit. They are distributed in Jews for the Jewish Army in various services in Egypt, Pales- Palestine.

une, Crete, and elsewhere. There The Jewish war effort in, are only two small distinctly Palesting is extremely high, The Jewish battalions in the Holy young community already boasts Land.""

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