The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-12-11
HOLY CITY CAPTURED BY
GENERAL ALLENBY FROM
THE TURKS
Taken by Ottomans
4O1 Years Ago
Center Of Worlds Conflicts From
Earliest Ages - Present Cam
paign Has Been Interesting
From Military Point of View.

LONDON Dec. 1O.-Jerusalem, the
Holy City, has been captured from
the Turks by the British army operat-
ing in Palestine.
Announcement to this effect was
made in parliament this afternoon. 1t
was based on official advices from
General Allenby, commander in chief
of the British forces on the Palestine
front
The fall of the Holy City had been
expected ever since the British took
Jeppa, its port on the Mediterranean.
Jerusalem is again in possession Of
the Christians for the first time since
1916, when it came from the Otto
man yoke.
The British campaign in Palestine
was opened last March and has been
prosecuted steadily since then, first by
General Sir Archibald Murray and
then by General Allenby, who assumed
command on June 29 The advance
was northward along the Mediterran-
can coast but was necessarily slow be-
cause of the arid desert that had to
be crossed.
Jerusalem is % miles inland from
the sea. 1t was made the capital of
the Christian republic established
there by the Crusaders from 1899 to
1857
Jerusalem. the birthplace of Chris
tianity, is the most fought for city
in the world. Down through the ages
it has been battled for by Jew, Mo-
hammedan, Pagan and Christian. The
hills of Palestine have been drench-
ed with Christian blood in mighty bat
ties fought by fanatic Christian in
vaders. The historic city has been de-
stroyed and rebuilt times without
number, only to finally fall for the
second time into the hands of Chris
tian British.
The gigantic British encircling
strategy took in, on the south, the lit
tie town of Bethlehem, where Christ
was born 1917 year ago. There
seems to be no doubt that the capture
of Jerusalem is one of the most stu
pendous moral victories of the war.
1t is a unique fact that British lead
ers and British armies now, as in
the centuries past, are still the te-
naciOus successful foes of Moham-
meds people In the twelfth century
Richard Occur de Lion, in penitence
for fancied sins, decided to absolve
himself of mundane taints by engage
ing in an altruistic campaign for the
deliverance of Jerusalem to Christian
control In a series of campaigns he
fought the mighty Saladin through
many sanguinary battles to a truce.
He found it impossible to maintain a
maximum fighting strength through
the extensive line of communications.
Disease and misfortune reduced his
armies to nOmadic bands, which WERE
some of them, taken as slaves by the
Mussalmans. Others roamed the con-
tinent for years or engaged in mer-
cenary wars wherever they found
chieftains willing to employ them.
Richard himself became q fugitive,
was arrested by enemies while strug-
Cling his way through Austria, and
only released when friends to Chris
tian raised enormous ransoms.
Briefly Jerusalem was subject to
Egypt about 1400 B. G. Later it pass
ed into the possession Of the Jebusites. |
David was the next conqueror. Its |
rise to great city caused much jeal-
ousy among neighboring potentates.
The Egyptians and Assyrians and |
finally the Babylonians, under Nebu-
employed the tactics the
Germans have practised on Belgium
n the present war. Art treasures
we're removed, magnificent buildings
burned and men and women deported
o Babylon.
After seventy years, Cyrus permit
ed the Jews to return. They restor-
ID the city, and 5SS B. c. rebuilt the
uins of Solomons temple. A period
# peace was enjoyed until Alexander's