Egyptian Army's Possible Route to Palestine

Chronicle (Levin), 15 May 1948, Page 5

Egyptian Army's Possible Route to Palestine

I I he eablos have not disclosed at j which points of the Palestine liorder the Egyptian forees are massed, but it may lie prt-suined that tliey will be mobilised j along the eoastal route over the Binai I Desort: to El Arish, an oasis-like town -diip 011 the boundary 1 ino, and at the , border post in the middle of the deseit on the mai 11 road route, largelv developed by the British for strateg'ical purposes. During World War I the main highway between the two countries followed the coast line, but during the inj tervening years the road was ruinctl , by erosion and fell into a state of disj repair 011 the Egyptian side of the I border so that it beeame unusuable. The rail route, however, still follows along the eoast, erossing the Buez Canal at Kantara. Erom El Arish onward there is a wide, well-formed bitumen road. The desort highway erosses the Sue/ Canal at Timsah, near Ismailia. It is a thin bitumen strip stretehing across 3(50 mijes _ q£_ barren desert. The frontier post, approximately half'-way across the desert, comprises a water tower and a road barrier. The post , was not manned during the last war. The first sign of habitation is the Arab village of El Auja whose only elaim oi' ' habitation is that it is the site of j Abraham 's Well. Whether or not the well is of sueli ancient vintage as is • boasted by the Arabs, it certainly de- 1 livers beautifully elear and cold water, as many Xew Zealand ex-servieenfen can testif'y. The first major township isBeersheba, 1 an unprepossessing Arab village on the 1 outskirts of which are still visible the ' t.renches and fortiiications erected by ' the Anzacs during World War I. At Beeersheba is a very large Australian eemet-ery in whieh are interred 700 it Australians and New ZealandOrs. Most of the graves are those of the Auetra- |l

lian Light Cavafry which suil'ered a heavy reverse against the Turks. The cemetery has been well cared for, aua attraCted great interest among the younger Anzacs of World War II. The first introduction to the orange groves of Palestine comes at Gaza, the furthest southern point of penetration by the Jews. Gaza, the site of a heavy ongagement by the British, Xew Zealand and Australian forees against the Turks in World War I, is predominantlv an Arab town, standing 011 tlie very .fringe of tlie Binai desert. From this point on into Palestine there is a very well-constructed highway. Gaza is the junction of the road down to El Arisli and it is here that the desert road makes contact with the railway. ' Egyptian troop trains standing at the readv at El Arish and motorised troops staging at ihe desert frontier post, would not take many hours to travel to Gaza whieh undoubtedly would beeome the principal basp for the Arab forees attaeking from the southwestern area. Tlie principal objeetives jirobablv would be Jerusalem, slightlv inland, and Tel Aviv 011 tlie eoast ndjacent the old Arab town of .Taita.