Malcolm plants a tree
Keren Kayemet Le’Israel-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) hosted the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at a planting ceremony at the Grove of Nations in Jerusalem.
A JNF spokesman said: “In doing so, he joined over 100 world leaders who have come to Israel and planted a tree for peace, friendship, and continuity.”
The visit at the Grove of Nations took place one day after the grand celebrations in Beersheba surrounding the 100th anniversary since ANZAC forces triumphed over the Ottoman Empire and captured the city. In addition, yesterday’s celebrations included a reenactment of the ANZAC cavalry charge along the historic KKL-JNF ANZAC Trail, and the inauguration of the ANZAC Museum in Beersheba, established by KKL-JNF and JNF Australia.
Malcolm Turnbull said: “A hundred years ago, those young Australians and their horses, which they brought from Australia, captured the town of Beersheba from the Ottoman Turks that enabled then the liberation of Palestine, which enabled then the creation, in the years to come, of the state of Israel.
“It was that victory in Beersheba, that ANZAC victory, that paved the way for the state of israel, perhaps beyond the imagination of the young men who were so brave on that day. They defied history with that courageous charge, they made history, and they fulfilled history.”