Dining out in times of war: Jerusalem 1914-1918

Antonio de la Cierva y Lewita, Conde de Ballobar, served as consul in Jerusalem from 1914 to 1918 leaving behind a diary which has proved to an invaluable source of information on war-time Jerusalem, its population, Ottoman and British administrations.1 He arrived in Jerusalem in September 1914 and his main task was to re-establish a more amicable relationship with the Custody of the Holy Land, after his predecessor Rafael Casares severed relations with the Italian Custos and opened a conflict with the Custody - which extended to the Vatican, over the control of properties financed with Spanish money in the Holy Land.2 As events unfolded and the Ottoman Empire eventually joined the war that began to rage in Europe during the summer of the same year, Ballobar found himself being part of an expected scenario. Spain remained a neutral country during the war and while the city was changing due to war conditions, Ballobar as well changed his attitude and behaviour and the aims of the Spanish consular mission adapted to the new circumstances.