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The German Officers Who Prevented the Massacre of the Jews of Palestine in World War I

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Lenny Ben-David - The Ottoman war effort in Palestine during World War I was often led by German officers. A German photographic collection contains a picture of Erich von Falkenhayn, a Prussian officer who served as Chief of Staff of the German Army, who was the commander of the Turkish, Austrian, and German troops during 1917. The photo includes a caption that claims, "Falkenhayn and the German Staff need to be credited with have [sic] prevented an Ottoman genocide towards Christians and Jews in Palestine similar to the Armenian suffering." Zionists were particularly suspected by the Turks of leading opposition to Ottoman rule, and leaders such as David Ben-Gurion were arrested, harassed, or exiled. Meanwhile, 1,000 Jewish volunteers for the British army, including some from Palestine, formed the Zion Mule Corps in 1915, later known as the Jewish Legion, which fought with valor against the Turks at Gallipoli. This article is from the author's forthcoming book Secrets of World War I in the Holy Land.
2023-05-11 00:00:00
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