English at last decided upon an offensive in that region. Early in 1917,
the British advance began. During January and February important
positions on the Sinai peninsula were seized. This success was followed
by a slow progress north into Palestine. The resistance of the Turks was
powerful and the British met with serious reverses. The terrible heat of
the summer months further held up their operations. In the fall,
however, the advance was resumed and a number of towns in the Holy Land
fell into the hands of the British. In November, Jaffa, the seaport of
Jerusalem, was taken. All the Turkish positions around the Holy City
were carried by storm, and on December 10 Jerusalem surrendered to
General Allenby.

This successful campaign in Palestine had several important results. The
capture of Jerusalem after almost seven centuries of Turkish control led
to general rejoicing among the Allied nations. Large numbers of Jews
throughout the world, who had long looked forward to the reëstablishment
of a Jewish nation in Palestine, now felt that a long step had been
taken toward the realization of their hopes. From a military point of
view, however, the chief result of the British campaign in Palestine was
that it definitely freed the Suez Canal from further danger of a Turkish
attack.

THE OFFENSIVE AGAINST ITALY.--At the beginning of 1917 the Italian
forces were within eleven miles of their great objective, the city and
port of Trieste. During the late spring and summer the advance
continued. Austrian trenches were occupied and tens of thousands of
Austrian soldiers were captured. After two years of effort it seemed
that the Italians would obtain the city and incorporate its
population--very largely Italian--into the kingdom of Italy. But
conditions in Austria and Germany had greatly changed. The cessation of