“Every blow that resounds from Egypt and from Russia summons us not merely to allow the Jews of Palestine to have their Home Guard but to establish, train and equip it ourselves without delay,” the Manchester Guardian declares today in an editorial on the Middle Eastern situation.
“The Jews of Palestine stand in most peril,” the editorial states. “Who can doubt that if Hitler comes there they will be massacred as a glorious climax to his policy of extermination. For us, at any rate, it is a plain matter of conscience. We ourselves by acts and by national policy, which still is unchanged, planted the Jewish community in Palestine, and encouraged and developed it. Apart from our compelling self-interest, we are under a deep moral obligation not only to defend Palestine but to ensure the Jews the means to defend themselves.”
The editorial concludes by stating that leaving aside the question of a Jewish military force within the British army, there is an urgent need to organize a Home Guard immediately.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
