“In maintaining such projects I am not at all proposing faithlessness to ‘our allies’ the Turks. So long as the empire stands, Jewish civilised settlement in Syria would be a strength and a blessing to it. It is only in the event of its ever falling that I should be glad to see the claim boldly enforced in reference to Palestine, ‘This portion belongs to the God of Israel, and to his national people.’
“I should be truly rejoiced to see in Palestine a strong guard of Jews established in flourishing agricultural settlements, and ready to hold their own upon the mountains of Israel against all aggressors. I can wish for nothing more glorious in this life than to have my share in helping them to do so.
“May your anticipation be richly realised, that great good will come out of the existing Syrian evils.
“George Gawler.[¹]
“... July 30, 1860.”
[¹] Ibid., August 10, p. 6.
All these developments stirred up Jewish public opinion in England and in France. Great possibilities threw their light into the future like a beacon of hope. The new Lebanon Constitution was, indeed, an indication of the future of Palestine: but the time was not yet ripe for the realization of these hopes.
CHAPTER XXXII.
ZIONISM IN FRANCE
Joseph Salvador—Lazar Lévy-Bing—Maurice [Moses] Hess—D. Nathan—Benoît Levy—Dr. A.-F. Pétavel—Ernest Laharanne—Crémieux—The “Alliance Israélite Universelle”—Albert Cohn—Charles Netter.