PALESTINE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 151, 5 September 1941, Page 7

PALESTINE

A GRATEFUL COUNTRY

importance: to allies

The importance of Palestine to flic Allies, its gratitude for the assistance given towards the reassembling of the Jewish nation on Its own ground as foretold in the Scriptures, and the part Palestinians have pl&yed in the present war, were put before the Wellington Travel Club by Dr S. Lowry, an eminent bacteriologist and palriot.

There was no doubt, he said, that many great British politicians and statesmen had regarded the returning of the territory of Palestine to the Jewish people not only as of great value to the Allies, but also of a compensation for what the Jewish nation had suffered for 'JO'J years. They had regarded it as a national home for the wandering Jew. Since then, thanks to the favourable opinion of the British people, 500,000 Jews had immigrated into Palestine, and were creating one of the greatest miracles of modern history. Cities had grown, there were modern schools, and the population was glad and happy to become a free people, better housed and accommodated than it had ever been.

Twenty-five per cent of Palestine Jews had enlisted in voluntary service on land, sea, and in the ah*. Immediately on the outbreak of Avar some went to France, served with the British Expeditionary Force, and were evacuated from Dunkirk. They had fought in Libya, Syria, Greece and Crete. General Wavell had written of their fine work and an officer in command in Eritrea, referring to the men on machine-gun work, wrote: "I have the greatest admiration for their fighting spirit."

"In the medical field of war malarial troubles had been overcome through the serums introduced by Jewish doctors.

Thanks to the foresight of the British politicians of 25 years ago there had been a great strengthening of the British Empire in the Near East. It was now hoped by the Jewish people that out of the holocaust of fear and blood there would emerge a new nation as part of the Empire.