Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER. l3th, 1917. THE EASTERN GATEWAY.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 November 1917, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER. l3th, 1917. THE EASTERN GATEWAY.

Gaza, the ancient, and modern gateway of all Egyptian and Assyrian conquerors, the road which Alexander took to Egypt, and that winch Napoleon used in his futile attempt to establish an Eastern Empire, lias fallen into the hands of General Allenby. It was taken, apparently, by double flanking operations—one by way of Beersheba and the other by way of the coast with the help of a naval squadron. The capture of Beersheba by a wide flanking movement at once weakened trie Turkish lines of defonce. The Britisn mounted forces, by pushing northward of the village, struck at the flank of the Turks and threatened their communications and rear. As the result of this weakening of the Turkish lines, and with the help of the bombardment from the sea. General Allenby was able both to advance frontally and to outflank Gaza by striking northwards between the town and the coast. The Turks were' so shaken by the two flank-

ing movements that they gave way on the front centre and began to destroy their stores. The movements of General Allonby’s army were so well calculated and rapidly carried out, however, that Gaza was 'taken with much booty and, it is to bo hoped with a large ham of prisoners. To despoil the Turks of material is a very valuable accomplishment, since Turkov is desperately impoverished; but to capture or destroy large units of the Turkish, armies is just now much more vital. It has been asserted tliat 300,000 Turks were opposed to General Allenby in the south of Palestine. If that be the case, General Allenby has achieved a signal victory. Tlie outlook for General Allenby and his forces is now much brighter. In front of him is good productive country, fairly well watered. Behind him is" the Syrian de s ert. The population of the coastal plain and the higher hinterland of the north of Beersheha will welcome the conqueror -as he advances. Turco-Gormans rapacity has been laid uiion the population with a heavy hand, and the Arabs, Jews and Syrians, who have been cruelly oppressed will no doubt give valuable information to General Allenby as lie advances

and render all the assistance they can. Moreover, they will know how to weigh the value of British money against the paper of Germanised Turks. Turkish oppression and misrule they have suffered for ages, aud the British, with their character for honesty and justice,; will find many useful welcomes as they advance into a strange land. It is to be hoped, comments an exchange, from which we quote, that General Allenby, in advancing into Palestine, will not call in his right wing too far. That wing has obtained a useful footing on the heights west of the Dead Sea. For an advance upon Jerusalem it is necessary that the Beersheba Hebron road along the uplands should bo seized as quickly as possible to nrotect the main body marching northwards over the coastal lowlands. From the pon-

toons that have been taken north of Beersheba—from Tel-el-Sheriek, for instance, —Jerusalem is only 37 miles distant. General Allenby may elect, however, to advance along the cone*, under the cover of the rmns of the naval unit with him and take Jaffa' the port of Jerusalem. The effect of the capture of Jaffa would he to give General Allenby a coastal base that would enable him to dispense with the use of the long coastal railway which had been built across the iktlirmis from the canal, aud in advancing noon Jerusalem he would he able to use the short .Taffa-Ludd-Jerusalom railway. Tf be lias the Turks sufficiently demoralise) lie will push on towards Jaffa with all speed.