The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-11
The War i'm the Holy Land
Germany Plots for Years to Win
Controlling Voice in Palestine
Still There Are Less Than 1900
German Residents in Holy
Land; Says Bernstein, Compar-
ing Interests of Germany, Brit
ain and France.
By HERMAN BERNSTEIN.
Editor of The American Hebrew.

Editor OF me American 7epre".
Copyright 1917, by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association.)
England and Germany are not the
only powers that have most at stake
in Palestine. Other countries enter
tain Near-East ambitions, and have
looked forward to the breakup of tho
Turkish empire for the enlargement
of their own dominion. But these am
billions lave, for the most part, Deeh
permitted to lie dormant until the
psychological moment arrived
What actual interests the other
powers have in the Holy Land, they
are, with the exception of those Of
France. insignificant, and will I'M
doubtedly, be safeguarded without
difficulty under the rule of any strong
and efficient government.
There is, in addition to the interest
Of the powers, and the sentimental re-
gard for Palestine by Christians and
lMohammedans, the jewish interest,
which Great Eritain and its allise, in
Guiding the United States, regard as
of the utmost significance. But for
the moment it is necessary to devote
a little more attention to the clash.
ing interests of Germany and England
in this little country Of between 49,
900 and 1000 square miles, bounded
on the west by the Desert, on the
north by Syria and on the south by
Egypt.
A writer in the London "Quarterly
Review has pointed out that, recog-
nizing the unsatisfactory strategic sit
uation in the region of the canal, the
Anglo-Egyptian government has drawn
its boundary not at the natural from
tier, where Asia and Africa meet, but
further east, including some $4,000
square miles of Asiatic territory more
than twice the extent of Turkish Pal
estine, within the Egyptian dominionJ.
This region-the Eli-Arish district, the
Wilderness of Tin and the Sinai Pen
insula-is very sparsely inhabited, and
is generally considered desert. 1t in
Guided not only the region that inte.'-
venes between geographical Palestine
and Egypt, but also the sOuthermOsi
portion of the former, stopping short
within 20 miles of GAIA. This region
has l'been held by Egypt as abuffer.
lstate;2 but as defense against an en-
envy of any strength it has proved in
afficacious.
Germany, with it's usual thorough
ness has been conducting an aggres-
sive campaign for winning Turkey to
its side, always with .le underlying
purpose of obtaining free hand in
Palestine. AS far back as 1881 her
influence ut Constantinople was pow
orful enough to prevail upon the SUB
lime Porte to cede to her the ruins of
Caesaria, ostensibly for archaeological
research. This was followed by the
concession of The Bagdad railroad.
Wilhelm visited Palestine in 1888.
Special roads were built so as to III
crease the comfort of the imperial
party, and a breach was male in the
walls of Jerusalem for the dramatic
entry to the Holy City by the kaiser.
In waging this campaign Germany
followed it's well-knOwn methods. The
principal shops are German. The ma
jority of hotel keepers are German.
Livery town has at least one German
physician.
But the only real ground for consid-
Grafton of Germany in deciding he fu-
ture of Palestine is furnished by the
Templist colonies, of which there arc
threc-one near Jaffa. one at Eaifa
and one near LYDIA. These date from
1868, and originally were of re'ig-
iOus character. The settlers, unlike
Germany's pawnS i'll its Otner coiUnlal
or1fnrnricnS {DI Inv, ho,
material nor political motives. Theirs
was religious motive, pure and sim
pie.
Other German settlers, not members
of the sect, have followed them and
opened shops in the three towns, but
the total number of German residents
in Palestine does not exceed 1900.
Apart from the Jewish colonies, the
Templist colonies are the only eie-
ment of progress in The country since
the time OF Mehemet Ali, according
to Albert NJ. Hyamson, a distinguish
ed authority on the near east
The French interest in the Holy
Land has been stripped OF political in
fluence for about IS years. But. in
the industrial sphere, French subjects
hold number of valuable conces-
sions. In Palestine they constructed
the railroad from Jaffa to Jerusalem,
now playing such an important part
in the British operations for the cap
ture of the Holy Land In the Eng,
cvclopedia Britannica it is noted that
the traditional claim of France to pro.
tect Roman Catholics in the Ottoman
empire has been greatly imnaired nv
the nonreligious character of the re.
public"
France has seen the justice of the
contention by other powers that an
anti'Catholic power can have NO
claims to pro; ect their own Catholic
subjects. 1t has no desire to involve
itself in religious troubles, of no con
Germ to her own welfare
There remains one other considera
tion-the purely commercial. In 1915
British imports through Jaffa came tc
$2,030,000, half as much as the i'm
ports of all other countries combined
Next was Turkey, with $1,225, 900;
Austria-Hungary third, with $715,OOO;
Russia fourth with 100000. France
led Germany that year, with $4,000
as against $4,000.
(Read tomorrow's Tribune for NOR,
r.