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"Lawrence of Arabia" Believed in Zionism

(Jerusalem Post) Alexander Zvielli - T.E. Lawrence, the legendary "Lawrence of Arabia," believed in Zionism as a force to restore Palestine to its ancient glory, brought about by active British-Jewish-Arab cooperation. During World War I he persuaded the Arabs to revolt against the Ottoman Turks. He organized an Arab fighting unit commanded by Emir Feisal, son of Sherif Hussein of Mecca, which captured Aqaba in 1916 and entered Damascus in 1918. In June 1918, Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann went to meet Emir Feisal in Trans-Jordan. Upon his arrival at Feisal's camp he was greeted by Lawrence, who instructed Weizmann on how to approach Emir Feisal and how to present his cause. Acting as translator, Lawrence helped persuaded Feisal that Jewish settlement in Palestine would be of great benefit to the country and the Arab people. During the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, an historic letter was published on March 3, on behalf of the Hedjaz delegation, signed by Emir Feisal, which said: "We feel that the Arabs and Jews are cousins by race...and by happy coincidence have been able to take first step towards the attainment of their national ideals together. We Arabs, especially the educated among us, look with the deepest sympathy on the Zionist movement."
2012-12-28 00:00:00
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