Considerable alarm was felt in Palestine today as a result of reports from Cairo indicating that King Farouk of Egypt, as well as his Cabinet, are definitely determined not to aid the British in their attempt to check the Nazi invasion of Egypt.
Correspondents of Palestine newspapers reported today from Cairo that the situation in Egypt has taken “a distinctly unfavorable turn.” The Egyptian Premier, acting with the consent of the King, has ordered the Egyptian army to maintain strict neutrality in the battle which is now raging between the British and German armed forces on Egyptian soil. Furthermore, the order instructs the Egyptian officers to withdraw their troops east of the fighting zones “in order to avoid becoming embroiled in hostilities.”
It is not yet clear whether the new attitude of the Egyptian government can be considered to be a definite policy of the King, who is reported to believe that there is a strong possibility that Gen. Rommel’s armies may occupy all of Egypt, or whether it is a result of a long-standing secret agreement between Egyptian political leaders and the Axis powers. Whatever the real reason behind the new development may be, the feeling in Palestine today was one of anxiety since it has become obvious that the pro-Axis elements in Egypt have gained considerable ground.
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.
