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hundreds of thousands, at least, now the chief obstacle to a Jewish “Britain’s 1939
could have escaped if Britain had national home, some Jewish
been faithful to the terms of the militias, namely the Irgun and the White Paper violated
Mandate. Instead, they finished up Stern Gang, resorted to violence
in the Nazi death camps. against the British, their deadliest our pledge, trapping
attack being the King David Hotel Jews in Nazi Europe”
Most of those who did survive bombing. They succeeded in driving
the Holocaust had lost nearly the British from Palestine.
everyone in their families. They technology, operational techniques
were homeless, penniless refugees Since those deplorable days – and intelligence. British warships
who wanted just one thing: to go when the British Chief of the are frequent visitors to the port of
home to their Promised Land. Many Imperial General Staff confidently Haifa, where they once sought to
thousands tried to reach it in small predicted the rapid defeat of the blockade incoming refugees, and
overcrowded and often unseaworthy Zionists by the Arab armies that 2019 saw the first deployment of
boats. At least 3,000 Holocaust invaded in 1948, some even led Israeli combat aircraft to the UK for
survivors drowned as a result of the by British officers – relations a multinational exercise. Few foreign
British naval blockade. Those who between the Israel Defence Forces armies are held in such high regard
did make it were imprisoned near and the British armed forces, as by the British as the IDF, who since
Haifa, in Cyprus, or elsewhere. well as the national intelligence 9/11 have been fighting the same
services, have been transformed. enemies using the same tactics in
Forced by Arab intransigence which Few other countries enjoy such what is effectively the same conflict.
had led the British to become close cooperation, including in
* Quoted from her interview in “The Forsaken Promise”
produced by Hugh Kitson: <http://forsakenpromise.
hatikvahfilms.org/>
For further information, see the two-part documentary
series “Whose Land?” by Hugh Kitson and Richard
Kemp: <www.whoseland.tv>

About The Author
Col. Richard Kemp, CBE, is a retired British
Army Officer, expert in Security and Intelligence
matters, and Commander of the British Forces
in Afghanistan in 2003/2004. He was attached
to the Cabinet Office between 2001 and 2006,
serving as Chairman of the Joint Intelligence
Committee advising the national crisis
Exodus 1947 ship after British takeover
© 2020 National Photo Collection, Frank Shershel management group, known as COBRA.

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