From Kelvin's book, page 10. "In 1798 a Baptist minister in England named James Bicheno ( whose son James E Bicheno was one time colonial secretary in Tasmania) wrote:
/Now we are looking for the restoration of the scattered Jews. . . to pretend to determine, positively, how this ought to be brought about, would be arrogance, the probability being that the Turkish power being overturned in Palestine, by some invading enemy, that enemy will think it politic and necessary, for the promotion of its own schemes, to invite the Jews to take posession of their ancient patrimony. & to make one cause with themselves. For without the support of some powerful nation, how are the dispersed, disorganized Jews, to collect their numbers & unite their energies, so as to produce the effects predicted? We know God can work miracles; but we know also that he usually works by 2nd causes.
I shall now only add that Egypt, it is probable, will be an easy conquest (Isaiah 11:11) & a thoroughfare for the returning sons of Abraham, to the country of their ancestors./
A few months later, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt. . .[setting] the scene for the unfolding of an amazing geo-political dynamic, the consequences of which have continued on until the modern period."
I am enjoying Golda Meir's autobiography. On page 62:
"Perhaps at this point I should say something briefly about the [Valley of Jezreel], because the story of the struggle to develop it is so integral a part of the story of the whole Zionist effort. When the 1st WW ended & the Mandate over Palestine was awarded by the League of Nations to Britain, the new hopes raised by the Balfour Declaration for the establishment of a full-fledged Jewish national home seemed to be on the way towards fulfilment. Years earlier, however, in 1901, the Jewish National Fund had already been formed by the Zionist movement for the exclusive purpose of buying & developing land in Palestine in the name of the entire Jewish people. & a great deal of the Jewish-owned land in Palestine was bought by 'the people' - the bakers, tailors & carpenters of Pinsk, Berlin & Milwaukee. . .
Come to think of it, I am more than a little tired of hearing about how the Jews 'stole' land from Arabs in Palestine. The facts are quite different. A lot of money changed hands, & a lot of Arabs became very rich indeed. . . So let that libel. . .be done with."
