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The Last Time Christians Controlled Jerusalem
No one could have seen the ultimate outcome of events in 1917
On December 11, 1917, a weary and weathered General Edmund Allenby entered the Holy City of Jerusalem on foot. His head was down as a symbol of respect and contrition. The British refused to fly the Union Jack over the walls of the Old City, and there were strict orders in place to respect the history and culture of the ancient city. Two days earlier, Allenby’s armies had secured the area around Jerusalem after days of fighting in the Judean Hills. The Turkish forces of the Ottoman Empire had moved out, leaving the city in the hands of the British.
The victory in Palestine was a much needed one for the British, who were languishing on the Western Front during the Great War. Church bells and whistles were struck across the empire as the declaration was read. Jerusalem had fallen, and the city had peacefully transferred into British hands. City leaders turned over the keys to the city to Allenby, who began his rule in the region.
The British capture of Jerusalem marked the first time in centuries that Christians had come into possession of the Holy Land. Not since the 12th century had the city been firmly in Christian hands. After Muslim forces evicted the Medieval Crusaders hundreds of years earlier, Christians were…
