
--Theresa Newell, 23 Aug 2017

General Edmund Allenby Takes Jerusalem 1917
On December 11, 1917 General Edmund Allenby, Field Marshal of the British Empire's Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), walked through the Jaffa Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem declaring victory over the Ottoman Empire by England and its allies. The event took place just in front of the entrance to the compound of CMJ's Christ Church, which had stood since the 1840s as the oldest Protestant church in the Middle East. It was the first day of Chanukah 1917, celebrating the liberation of Jerusalem by the Maccabees in 163 BC!

The Balfour Declaration had been signed in London on October 31, 1917 calling for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. On that same day General Allenby's legion captured the city of Beersheba. This battle opened the way for the British force to move toward Jerusalem by early December.[1] While the Balfour Declaration was a great political coup for the Jewish aspirations for a homeland, it was not until Allenby's military victory that it was possible for the Declaration's intent to be set in motion.
For over 400 years the territory of the future home for the Jews had been under Ottoman Turkish rule! While Jerusalem was a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, access to the area had been not only greatly restricted while under Ottoman rule but had become an undesirable place to live - subject to disease and poverty.
This year as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, we also focus on the importance of Allenby's triumphant military campaign. His entrance was the first time Jerusalem had been liberated from Muslim rule since the Crusader period ended in AD 1291.
Who was Allenby?

Twice Allenby's predecessor had failed in the attempt to capture Gaza, giving access to the route to Jerusalem. Under Allenby, known as one of the greatest mounted cavalry officers of England, the EEF was reorganized and not only took Gaza, but stormed Beersheba, which opened the door to Jerusalem's capture. The element of surprise showed Allenby's skill as a strategist as his British, Australian and New Zealanders attacked from three sides -- a military feat that had never happened before in the taking of Beersheba.
He was created 1st Viscount Allenby of Megiddo and of Felixstowe in October 1919 and served as High Commissioner of Egypt from 1919 to 1925.

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1 For details of this historic battle, read Anzacs, Empires and Israel's Restoration (1798-1948) by Kelvin Crombie.
2 Crombie, p 203.
Images:
1. Gen Allenby reviewing his troops in front of David’s Citadel opposite Christ Church, Jerusalem.
2. Chanukah with Judah Maccabee and General Allenby in Jerusalem. Illustrated by M.M. Harris, San Francisco. Published by A.B. Schayer, Cincinnati, Ohio: 1918.
3. Gen. Sir Edmund Allenby, painting by Philip Tennyson Cole [Wikimedia].
4. Gen. Allenby dismounting in front of Jaffa gate in order to walk in, showing respect for the holy places of Jerusalem.