“VERY FEW AUSTRALIANS COME HERE.”
The security guard welcomed our group (in June this year) to the beautiful park created to commemorate the Battle of Beersheba, that took place one hundred years ago today. The park includes a huge area of play equipment for children, manicured gardens and expansive lawns, and of course, the memorial.
Most visitors to Israel/Palestine head north, and miss the haunting beauty of the Negev and Beersheba, ‘the place of seven wells’, or ‘the well of the oath.’
Australian Military historian and author Jonathan King said, We’re obsessed with Gallipoli. I think the Battle of Beersheba should be the cornerstone of our Australian identity replacing Gallipoli. Gallipoli was a British-led defeat. Beersheba was an Australian-led victory.”
