The battle for Palestine 1917 / John D. Grainger.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-280) and index.

Prologue : To the border of Palestine -- The decision to invade -- Defeat at Gaza -- Defeated again -- The wider context -- The Allenby effect -- The third attempt at Gaza -- The Turkish lines brokien -- The drive north -- The hills of Judaea -- Jerusalem for Christmas -- Why the British won -- Appendix : Composition of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

"In 1914 Gaza was the springboard from which Turkish forces attacked the Suez Canal. In 1917 it was their salvation, blocking the British army's assault and its drive into Palestine." "After two British defeats, in 1917 General Allenby led a multinational army in a final attack on the outnumbered Turkish forces. Yet the Turks almost thwarted Lloyd George's ambition to capture Jerusalem by Christmas. John Grainger examines all aspects, even biblical, of the campaign and the British army's ultimate victory - a victory that brought in its wake a complex set of problems: British rule in Palestine, Jewish immigration, terrorism, the Israel/Palestine problem, the intifada, and, full circle, Gaza again."--Jacket.