THE BATTLE FOR KASTEL (QASTEL).

“Privates retreat & officers remain to cover the retreat“: an order given by Jewish officers at the battle for Kastel during the 1948 War of Independence, & the code of conduct adopted by the Israel Defence Forces (I.D.F.) to this day.

The location of Kastel is identified as Mount Ephron in the book of Joshua 15:9. The town sat on the border between the tribal allotments of Benjamin & Judah & was strategically important throughout the ages. Fortresses from both the Roman (63 B.C.E – 324 C.E.) & Crusader (1099 C.E.-1291 C.E.) periods once occupied the site as did a later Arab village. A census taken in 1945 recorded a population of 90 people, all of whom were Arabs & Muslim. Located on a hill west of Jerusalem, Kastel overlooks the Jaffa-Jerusalem highway, known today as Road 1. During the 1948 War of Independence Road 1 was the only access route into Jerusalem from the west.

Kastel was one of the Arab strongholds that prevented supplies from reaching Jerusalem & by March of 1948 vehicular traffic to Jerusalem was completely blocked thereby placing Jerusalem under siege. It was thus imperative that the Jewish forces capture Kastel in order to break the siege. The Jewish forces were comprised of the Haganah, the main paramilitary organization of the Jewish population in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and 1948 & the Palmach, an elite operational force within the Haganah.

On the night of 2nd April, combatants from both the Palmach & Haganah were mobilized & succeeded in capturing Kastel on the 3rd of April in an operation known as Operation Nachshon. Realizing the strategic importance of Kastel, the Arab forces under the leadership of Abd el-Qadr el Husseini counter attacked. A battle lasting 5 days ensued in which Abd el-Qadr el Husseini was killed. Unaware that their commander had been killed & thinking that he had been captured, the Arabs made a concerted effort to recapture the site & free their commander. The Jewish forces were forced to withdraw & it was at this point during the battle that the order was given for “privates to retreat & officers to remain to cover the retreat”. During the conflict, 17 Palmach & 21 Haganah soldiers were killed.

In order to break the siege of Jerusalem, it was imperative that the Jewish forces regain control of Kastel, & on the 8th of April a decision was made to recapture the stronghold. Soldiers were mobilized & a Palmach unit reached Kastel on the 9th of April. To their surprise they found the village totally deserted.

The Arabs had left the site in order to attend the funeral of their leader Abd el-Qadr el Husseini in Jerusalem, & Kastel was once again in Jewish hands.

After the cessation of hostilities, a new immigrant transit camp known as a ma’abara was set up in Kastel, which later evolved into a permanent settlement named Ma’oz Tziyon.

Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect). Website : rontraub-tours.com Photo : Rimonah Traub.