Napoleon's invasion of the Eastern Mediterranean in 1798 provoked a battle between the European empires for control of  that strategic region, placed as it was between Europe and the wealth of the Far East, especially India.

This battle also resurrected Jewish hopes of a return to their ancient homeland - the Land of Israel, a hope strongly supported by countless Bible-believing Christians. It witnessed too the active involvement of soldiers from Australia and New Zealand (Anzacs) in the region - at Gallipoli in Turkey, in the Sinai, at Gaza, Beersheba, Jerusalem and Jericho in Turkish Palestine, in Syria, in Transjordan, at Tobruk in Libya, in Greece, Crete and at El Alamein in Egypt.

Their contribution, alongside other soldiers of the British Empire, played a significant role in enabling Israel's restoration, as part of Britain's imperial ambitions. But Britain's role ended when the State of Israel was founded in May 1948 - 150 years after Napoleon's invasion.