When nationial archives get opened, the most intriguing things tend to come out. Take this zinger, revealed to Jerusalem Post columnist Ruthie Blum by "British-Jewish historian" Sir Martin Gilbert.
Lawrence of Arabia was a Zionist
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence - better known as "Lawrence of Arabia" - and renowned as a champion of Arab independence, actually had "a sort of contempt for the Arabs" and was an advocate of Jewish statehood from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, according to acclaimed British historian Sir Martin Gilbert.
Lawrence believed that only with a sovereign Jewish entity in the area would the Arabs "ever make anything of themselves," according to Gilbert.
Who knew? It's a bit of a teaser, I guess, designed to encourage you to order his book, "Churchill and the Jews." You can find the full interview here.
Shabbat Shalom.
