The Anzacs and Jewish Liberty - Lest We Forget
Monday, 14th November 2011
The Rev Hon Fred Nile MLC, Leader of the Christian Democratic Party, gave the following address on 'Remembrance Day' 2011 in the NSW Parliament.
"I wish to make a contribution in relation to Remembrance Day, formerly called Armistice Day-the eleventh day of the eleventh month. I acknowledge my father's service in the British army in World War One. He was born in Plymouth, England. He enlisted at the age of 17 and served in the British army in France from 1916 to 1919. He was wounded by machine gun fire and finally discharged from the army in 1919", said Rev Fred Nile.
"One aspect of involvement of the Anzacs is the relationship of Anzacs to the formation of Israel, which may be a surprise to some people. During both world wars the Anzacs have been one of the major contributors to a modern-day restoration of Israel. The destinies of both countries seem to have a link. The British, Australian and New Zealand forces in World War One were entrusted with the responsibility of liberating the land of Israel from the Turkish Empire. The first major battle took place in Gaza during March 1917 and ended in failure. The second battle in April 1917 also ended in failure. There were more than 10,000 casualties from those two engagements. If the land of Israel was to be liberated another solution had to be found. The solution was the idea of capturing Beersheba, which is inland from Gaza, in a surprise assault. Through the summer months of 1917 the British and Anzac troops prepared themselves for this surprise attack, which was scheduled to begin on 31 October.
On that crucial day the British infantry attacked Beersheba from the south and west and gained their positions. Most of the casualties on that crucial day were from the British infantry. New Zealanders were also involved in capturing the strategic Tel es Saba in the mid afternoon. Later that afternoon was the famous charge of the Australian Light Horse Brigade. More than 800 Australian light horsemen of the 4th Light Horse Brigade courageously charged in from the east against artillery fire, machine gun fire and rifle fire, and completed the capture of Beersheba. It was a major defeat for the Turkish Empire. At that time in London the British war cabinet was debating the future of the land of Israel pending its liberation. At almost the same time as the final victory was won on the ground at Beersheba the British war cabinet agreed almost unanimously to the establishment of a Jewish national state in Palestine, the Jewish national home. Was this a coincidence or not?
As we know the Anzacs played an important role in the 1941 Tobruk and Syrian campaigns. General Leslie Morshead, commander of the Ninth Division, was entrusted with the responsibility of holding Tobruk at all costs. For Winston Churchill Tobruk became the linchpin for survival of the British Empire. Many saw it as a symbol for survival of western civilisation. At that time there were 500,000 Jewish people in Palestine. If Germany had won the war we know what would have happened to those 500,000 Jewish people. There were numerous Jewish soldiers in Tobruk either serving in the Australian army or in Palestine itself serving in various units of the British army. Their presence added to the prayers of the Jewish people in Palestine for the safety of the garrison force at Tobruk. The large Jewish community in Palestine was extremely grateful for the fighting and sacrifice of the Anzacs as it provided them with a further respite from their known fate if the Germans ever succeeded in conquering the land of Israel.
In conclusion, it is apparent from my brief speech that there is an amazing dynamic between the Anzac soldiers of both world wars and the Jewish people in the land of Israel. There has developed an amazing friendship between the Israeli nation and the Australian nation. It is one of which we should be proud. It is important for us to consider our relationship with Israel. Unfortunately, the Australian Government has not always been supportive of Israel since it gained nationhood in 1948. However, on other occasions it has demonstrated its support for Israel without agreeing with everything that Israel has said or done. We need to be diligent in our support and give encouragement to the Jewish people who make up the nation of Israel as they face threats from the surrounding Arab nations and pose a great threat to their future survival", Rev Nile stated.