Celebrating the Battle of Beersheba Centenary with Australia and New Zealand
By GREER FAY CASHMANUpdated: NOVEMBER 21, 2017 22:04Sporting Australian bush hats, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnball takes a selfie with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the reenactment of the Battle of Beersheba on October 31(photo credit: GPO/AMOS BEN GERSHOM)
MANY WHO attended the 100th anniversary events on October 31 commemorating the Battle of Beersheba won by Australian and New Zealand mounted infantry, who defeated soldiers of the Ottoman Army, called it an incredible and memorable experience and gave credit to Beersheba Mayor Ruvik Danilovich for a job well done.Indeed, when one thinks of all the coordination that was required for such a high-security gathering attended in various Beersheba venues by New Zealand Governor-General Dame Patty Reddy, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Australian Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, Israeli Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, several Australian and Israeli government ministers and parliamentarians, a large representation of the diplomatic corps, military attachés from various countries along with other dignitaries ‒ it was a security nightmare because they weren’t together all the time.Additionally, there were several VIP delegations ‒ the most important of which was the Pratt Foundation headed by Jeanne Pratt who came with her sister, one of her daughters and a granddaughter, and Pratt Foundation executive director Sam Lipski and Pratt Foundation Israel representative Peter Adler.The Foundation, in cooperation with the Australian government, funded part of the events of the day.Truth be told, the Pratt Foundation, according to Labor MP Michael Danby, had the foresight when it established the Park of the Australian Soldier in Beersheba in 2008 to make it a preliminary step toward the centenary. In fact, all Battle of Beersheba commemorations since then have in part been held in the Park of the Australian Soldier, as well as in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and at the nearby Turkish monument.Some members of the Pratt delegation came to Israel with Turnbull and so did not go through the three security checks to which other invitees were subjected to enter the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. That meant that they were missing one of the three bracelets that had to be worn to gain entrance to other events, such as the parade and reenactment of the military charge that followed a couple of hours later.But even before that, the Pratt delegation found that almost everywhere it went it was not permitted to cross barriers and arguments regarding the presence of Jeanne Pratt and the role of the Pratt Foundation in the event fell on deaf ears so there were lots of long detours.Danby and his wife, Melbourne barrister Amanda Mendes de Costa, were with an official delegation that included Joe Hockey, the Australian ambassador to the United States who came at his own expense with one of his sons; Duncan Lewis, the Director General of Security at the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) and several military attachés among others. Prior to joining the Australian Public Service, Lewis had a long and distinguished military career for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. When he retired from the army in 2005, it was with the rank of Major-General. Although he was wearing all his medals, he was missing one of the security symbols that entitled him to pass through a barrier.This particular group was led by Abdullah Azar, the manager and immigration officer at the Australian Embassy, who had full security clearance, but his explanations to the guardians of the barriers were only partially successful. After a lot of discussion, only people in military uniform were permitted to pass. But that didn’t include Lewis, a retired senior Australian Army officer, with medals and ID proof, so he left.Hockey, a former parliamentarian and shadow minister, had a special reason for wanting to be in Beersheba at this time. Although he had visited several times before, this event was more important because the centenary was also a private tribute to his grandfather, Joseph Hokeidonian, who was an Armenian spy for the British against the Turks. After the Battle of Beersheba, General Edmund Allenby appointed him deputy clerk (equivalent to today’s deputy mayor) of Beersheba. Several years later, Hockey’s father, Richard, who was born in Bethlehem, fought with the British Army in World War II. He subsequently settled in Australia in 1948. Fifty years later, in 1998, Hockey, on one of his parliamentary trips to Israel brought his father with him ‒ this time, Hockey brought his son and did not expect that he would have to fight a bureaucratic battle.Later in the day, Jeanne Pratt’s granddaughter who had travelled with Turnbull’s delegation, initially was prevented from entering the area where the reenactment of the charge of the Light Horse was to be conducted. Fortunately, her mother, who was already inside was able to sort out the problem, but it took time and they missed the beginning of that particular ceremony. Without the use of a cell phone to get a message to her mother, the third-generation member of the family would have been unable to enter.Israeli horses cannot gallop like Australian stock horses, so the reenactment was little more than a trot and a kicking up of dust. It’s because they have different muscles, explained Dr. Steve Sattler, a former Melbournian and internationally renowned expert on public health who now lives in Jerusalem.Sattler didn’t mind walking, and he’d actually worked out in advance where he could go without having to rely on transportation that had received clearance. So, while members of the Pratt delegation did not get to see the inside of the newly inaugurated ANZAC Museum, Sattler had the good sense to wait until all the dignitaries had left and then went inside for a viewing.Three years earlier, at a Battle of Beersheba commemoration at the Park of the Australian Soldier, Danilovich announced that he would build an ANZAC Museum, and the Australian Jewish National Fund pitched in to help with the cost. It was completed only a day or two before it was officially opened by the two prime ministers and their wives, the New Zealand governor general, the mayor of Beersheba and Australian JNF leaders.Even though he’s the mayor, Danilovich kept a fairly low profile, though he did speak at the Turkish memorial ceremony – albeit in Hebrew because English is not his strong suit.It was one of many speeches during the day, and anyone watching the camaraderie between Netanyahu and Turnbull would not guess from their obvious enjoyment at being in each other’s company how plagued each is with problems ‒ more personal than political in Netanyahu’s case, and more political than personal in Turnbull’s.The last speech, at the conclusion of the closing ceremony in the Park of the Australian soldier, was the briefest of addresses by Jeanne Pratt who made the most welcome statement of the day: “Let’s eat!!”The Pratt Foundation had provided a kosher Australian-style barbecue for some 600 invited guests with an unlimited supply of steak, sausages, hamburgers, lamb chops, chicken and corned beef, plus salads, chips, humus, an assortment of breads and rolls, a multitude of beverages and, of course, huge amounts of tomato sauce, an Australian staple that the Americans call ketchup. Turnbull was there, but Netanyahu was not and missed out on a culinary treat.It was a truly memorable day, part of which may be repeated on November 11, 2018, which will mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I.Even before that, however, in terms of marking yet another First World War Centenary watershed, it will be interesting to see if the municipality of Jerusalem will, on December 11 celebrate the 100th anniversary of Allenby’s arrival in Jerusalem. After all, without the British conquest of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat would never have become mayor and the State of Israel might still be a dream instead of a reality.
