The Battle for Jerusalem
From the dawn of civilization armies arrived from the ends of the earth to lock swords over Jerusalem the city that King David chose some 3,000 years ago as the capital of his ancient Israelite Kingdom two subsequent Jerusalem temples served the Jewish nation for most of a millennia from atop that Temple Mount their former site remains Judaism's holiest location until today in the course of the 1948 Israeli war of independence the Jordanians occupied East Jerusalem capturing the old city in the Temple Mount and expelling its Jewish inhabitants a 1949 armistice agreement left this territory in Jordanian hands but in violation of its agreements Jordan denied Jews entry to the city and its holy sites Jordan systematically desecrated and destroyed 58 synagogues ancient Jewish religious sites tens of thousands of graves on the Mount of all of cemetery that had served the Jewish nation for two-and-a-half thousand years for 19 years the ancient capital lay divided between Jordan and Israel with seven miles of urban border separating East and West Jerusalem when war erupted between Egypt and Israel at 7:14 on the morning of June 5th 1967 Israel lack the manpower and resources to fight on more than one front simultaneously it concentrated its forces on the Egyptian front leaving a single Brigade to face Jordan Israel hoped that Jordan would stay out of the fray appeal to King Hussein and to other Mabel to stay their hand and either world life life but Jordan had already mobilized 11 brigades on Israel's borders it had invited Iraq's forces to join an attack on Israel and it had signed a defense pact that placed its army under Egyptian command to better coordinate an arab-israeli war at 9:00 a.m. at Egypt Sergey King Hussein ordered the indiscriminate shelling of Jewish Jerusalem and other targets his planes bombed Israeli airfield Israel bid it slip hoping that Jordan was making a formal gesture of solidarity with Egypt and that the eastern border would soon fall silent but by 12:30 p.
M. Jordan's offensive morphed from a rumble into a roar Jordanian troops moved into southern Jerusalem's no-man's land and stormed government house the UN compound strategic - control of the city south see her eastern border catch fire Israel sent her weaves ahead of her Klaus first responding to Jordan from the skies Jordi's airfields in air force were rapidly obliterated meanwhile Israel scrambled to mustering infantry brigade from the north and to divert a paratrooper Brigade from the Egyptian front Israel did not intend to capture the old city and certainly not the West Bank its stated goal was to secure key roads to Jerusalem strategic ridges and fortified positions that encircle the city and to create buffer zones for the future safety of Jerusalem and its environs Israel also planned to liberate the route to the Mount Scopus demilitarized enclave that included the Hadassah Hospital and hebrew university buildings Mount Scopus was located in Jordanian held territory but in violation of the armistice Jordan had severely restricted Israeli access for close to 20 years rendering the area unusable in the afternoon of June Israel launched a surprise assault on government house it captured the compound within 25 minutes of fierce fighting then move swiftly to take the nearby knock meet and palm own strongholds so that Israel could take control of the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem by 8:00 p.m. these missions were complete meanwhile an Israeli armored Brigade stormed the tel l fo ridge that rises some 2800 feet above sea level the ridge was key to controlling the Jerusalem Ramallah Ruth fierce battles raged through the night but by 9:15 a.m. on June 6th tel L full fell to Israel early in the morning of June 6th Israel fought one of its bloodiest battles at ammunition Hill a fortification that controlled the road to Mount Scopus at 3:30 a.m. the battle began paratroopers advanced exposed without air or artillery cover due to the proximity to residential buildings barbed wire minefields stone line trenches and cement bunkers formed an impermeable nightmare every few meters Jordanian bunkers viewed relentless fire often requiring hand-to-hand combat to subdue eventually with all their officers dead individual soldiers led the battle on their own initiative as the Sun rose some three hours later ammunition Hill fell as silent as a grave yard 36 Israeli paratroopers had lost their lives and today ammunition Hill serves as a memorial to their sacrifice Israel was now free to approach Mount Scopus at 9:30 a.
M. on June 6 is Raley forces approached the Enclave and fought a second bitter battle to capture miffed our hill they accomplished their mission but 34 soldiers fell this time along with scores of injured down south Israel made its way to Jordanian Jerusalem's a Butare neighborhood they arrived at noon and fought a lengthy battle against five fortified Jordanian positions by 6:00 p.m. the IDF had completed their immediate mission all roads to Jerusalem had been secured and all enemy strongholds in the immediate area had been captured the Jordanian forces in the old city were isolated at 7:45 a.m. on June 7th the third day of the war the IDF High Command issued a surprising order capture the old city of Jerusalem two battalions attacked the high ground overlooking the city from the Jordanian side of the Mount Scopus Demilitarized Zone while a third battalion headed for the old city itself at 9:45 a.m. Colonel moto Gor breached lion's gate and at 10:00 a.m. his voice crackled through the army radio shouting ecstatic words that still ring in Israel's memory the Temple Mount is in our hands minutes later IDF Chief Rabbi Goren arrived to recite the poignant show heavy on you blessing and to sound the shofar as emotional paratroopers wept and smiled at the ancient stones of a newly liberated wall the iconic images of that moment have become symbols of Jewish survival and of the nation's inextinguishable bond with the sacred city a second Brigade entered the city south through the ashpod gate to flush out pockets of resistance at 11:00 a.
M. that Jordanian governor signed surrender papers and the city elders surrendered at 11:15 a.m. by 1:00 p.m. the old city was under Israel's control.
M. Jordan's offensive morphed from a rumble into a roar Jordanian troops moved into southern Jerusalem's no-man's land and stormed government house the UN compound strategic - control of the city south see her eastern border catch fire Israel sent her weaves ahead of her Klaus first responding to Jordan from the skies Jordi's airfields in air force were rapidly obliterated meanwhile Israel scrambled to mustering infantry brigade from the north and to divert a paratrooper Brigade from the Egyptian front Israel did not intend to capture the old city and certainly not the West Bank its stated goal was to secure key roads to Jerusalem strategic ridges and fortified positions that encircle the city and to create buffer zones for the future safety of Jerusalem and its environs Israel also planned to liberate the route to the Mount Scopus demilitarized enclave that included the Hadassah Hospital and hebrew university buildings Mount Scopus was located in Jordanian held territory but in violation of the armistice Jordan had severely restricted Israeli access for close to 20 years rendering the area unusable in the afternoon of June Israel launched a surprise assault on government house it captured the compound within 25 minutes of fierce fighting then move swiftly to take the nearby knock meet and palm own strongholds so that Israel could take control of the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem by 8:00 p.m. these missions were complete meanwhile an Israeli armored Brigade stormed the tel l fo ridge that rises some 2800 feet above sea level the ridge was key to controlling the Jerusalem Ramallah Ruth fierce battles raged through the night but by 9:15 a.m. on June 6th tel L full fell to Israel early in the morning of June 6th Israel fought one of its bloodiest battles at ammunition Hill a fortification that controlled the road to Mount Scopus at 3:30 a.m. the battle began paratroopers advanced exposed without air or artillery cover due to the proximity to residential buildings barbed wire minefields stone line trenches and cement bunkers formed an impermeable nightmare every few meters Jordanian bunkers viewed relentless fire often requiring hand-to-hand combat to subdue eventually with all their officers dead individual soldiers led the battle on their own initiative as the Sun rose some three hours later ammunition Hill fell as silent as a grave yard 36 Israeli paratroopers had lost their lives and today ammunition Hill serves as a memorial to their sacrifice Israel was now free to approach Mount Scopus at 9:30 a.
M. on June 6 is Raley forces approached the Enclave and fought a second bitter battle to capture miffed our hill they accomplished their mission but 34 soldiers fell this time along with scores of injured down south Israel made its way to Jordanian Jerusalem's a Butare neighborhood they arrived at noon and fought a lengthy battle against five fortified Jordanian positions by 6:00 p.m. the IDF had completed their immediate mission all roads to Jerusalem had been secured and all enemy strongholds in the immediate area had been captured the Jordanian forces in the old city were isolated at 7:45 a.m. on June 7th the third day of the war the IDF High Command issued a surprising order capture the old city of Jerusalem two battalions attacked the high ground overlooking the city from the Jordanian side of the Mount Scopus Demilitarized Zone while a third battalion headed for the old city itself at 9:45 a.m. Colonel moto Gor breached lion's gate and at 10:00 a.m. his voice crackled through the army radio shouting ecstatic words that still ring in Israel's memory the Temple Mount is in our hands minutes later IDF Chief Rabbi Goren arrived to recite the poignant show heavy on you blessing and to sound the shofar as emotional paratroopers wept and smiled at the ancient stones of a newly liberated wall the iconic images of that moment have become symbols of Jewish survival and of the nation's inextinguishable bond with the sacred city a second Brigade entered the city south through the ashpod gate to flush out pockets of resistance at 11:00 a.
M. that Jordanian governor signed surrender papers and the city elders surrendered at 11:15 a.m. by 1:00 p.m. the old city was under Israel's control.