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Reading the proclamation
of Martial Law outside the Citadel of King David, Jerusalem, 11th.
December, 1917. Allenby with Allied
commanders.
‘To the
Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Blessed and the People Dwelling in Its
Vicinity:
The defeat
inflicted upon the Turks by the troops under my command has resulted in the
occupation of your city by my forces. I, therefore, here now proclaim it to
be under martial law, under which form of administration it will remain so
long as military considerations make necessary.
However, lest any
of you be alarmed by reason of your experience at the hands of the enemy
who has retired, I hereby inform you that it is my desire that every person
pursue his lawful business without fear of interruption.
Furthermore, since
your city is regarded with affection by the adherents of three of the great
religions of mankind and its soil has been consecrated by the prayers and
pilgrimages of multitudes of devout people of these three religions for
many centuries, therefore, do I make it known to you that every sacred
building, monument, holy spot, shrine, traditional site, endowment, pious
bequest, or customary place of prayer of whatsoever form of the three
religions will be maintained and protected according to the existing
customs and beliefs of those to whose faith they are sacred.
Guardians have been
established at Bethlehem and on Rachel's Tomb. The tomb at Hebron has been
placed under exclusive Moslem control.
The hereditary
custodians at the gates of the Holy Sepulcher have been requested to take
up their accustomed duties in remembrance of the magnanimous act of the
Caliph Omar, who protected that church.’
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