Zionists Make 11th-hour Plea for Jewish Army; Near East ‘blitz’ in 10 Days Seen

The Zionist Review, organ of the British Zionist Federation, today voiced an eleventh-hour appeal to the Government to sanction formation of a Jewish army and not withhold from the Palestine Jews any longer an opportunity to defend them selves.

The appeal came as the British Press Association and the Free French newspaper France predicted a great Nazi offensive towards Suez through Libya on the west and Syria on the east within six to ten days.

“Our appeal is no less cogent because it is reinforced by considerations of immediate practical importance,” the Zionist organ said. “The Prime Minister has said that in ‘none of his successive victories could Wavell maintain in the desert for action, at one time, more than two divisions, or about 30,000 men. But it must be remembered that in September, 1939, 136,000 Palestinian Jews registered for national service.”

Asking why advantage was not taken of the opportunity to enlist more Jewish volunteers, the Review complained that the Palestine administration had not given the slightest encouragement to the Jewish community and only reluctantly had agreed to enlistment of special Jewish units. Nevertheless, 8,000 Jews enlisted, compared with 3,000 Arabs, although the Jews are only one-third of the population, the paper said.

Stressing that the Palestine Jews had a tremendous advantage in familiarity with the terrain, the paper declared that the power of resistance of a people fighting despair and building a homeland after 2,000 years should not be minimized and “it would be a crime against humanity to rob them of the chance to defend their honor and the cause of freedom.”

The Press Association’s diplomatic correspondent foresaw a great conflict in Palestine as the great Axis pincer movement developed.

Germany expects no opposition in French-mandated Syria, where there have been nationalist uprisings recently and where part of the French forces are believe to be disaffected, the report said. From Syria, the Nazi mechanized units could roll across the desert into Palestine and thence towards Suez, while another I talo-German force was fighting its way across the Egyptian desert.

“According to reports,” it was stated, “Hitler is planning to attack Egypt on a gigantic scale. His High Command have been instructed to disregard casualties and concentrate on achieving the swiftest possible advance through Palestine by the use of every device of modern mechanized warfare on land and in the air.”

The Press Association reported an asserted boast of Hitler that the conquest of the Mediterranean would be completed by Aug. 1 and said Germany would avoid Turkey and land large forces in Syria by air.