Meanwhile in Jerusalem, Gur’s forces, having cleared the approaches to the Old City and having been deployed in the valley between Mount Scopus and the Old City, prepared for the final assault in what was to be an action of major historic and religious significance in the history of the Jewish people. First, however, it was necessary to ensure control of the ridge overlooking Jerusalem from the east. Mount Scopus, the Augusta Victoria Hill and the Mount of Olives. (It was from this hill that the Roman legions under Titus surveyed the city walls of Jerusalem some two thousand years earlier, in the year ad70, before launching their attack on the city and on the Jewish Temple.) Time was running out as the pressures mounted in the United Nations Security Council to impose a cease-fire.
The Jordanian Governor of the Jerusalem district, Anwar el Khatib, was becoming desperate. He had been in touch with King Hussein, who had promised him (as he had promised the commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade responsible for the defence of the Jerusalem area. Brigadier Ata Ali) reinforcements. These were despatched but never arrived, because of the Israeli Air Force interdiction along the Jericho road. He had protested the use of the area of the Dome of the Rock, housing the Mosque of Omar and the El Aqsa Mosque, as ammunition
Dumps, but to no avail, and now he was seriously concerned lest the fighting should set off these supplies, which could destroy the entire area holy to the three great religions. When the reinforcements failed to arrive from Jericho, Ata Ali realized that the situation was hopeless. He decided to withdraw his forces and thus save them. Gradually, the bulk of the Jordanian forces withdrew in a skilful evacuation. But Governor Khatib refused to accompany them: two days later, he was to present himself in Jerusalem to the author of this book, who was appointed the first Israeli Governor of the West Bank, and to recount the tense and dramatic tale of the battle for Jerusalem as seen on the Jordanian side. (Incidentally, the removal of the military supplies, high-explosives and ammunition from the area of the mosques was to take several days.)
At 08.30 hours on 7 June, Gur’s three battalions attacked. Two of the battalions, supported by concentrated artillery fire and air support, launched a two-pronged attack against the Augusta Victoria Hill: one battalion supported by tanks broke into the Jordanian positions from the direction of Mount Scopus, while a second battalion scaled the slopes of the Augusta Victoria positions from the valley between the Hill and the Old City. At the same time, the third battalion pushed along the city wall from the Rockefeller Museum towards St. Stephen’s Gate, where it was planned to break into the Old City and the Temple Mount. Advancing in this two-pronged attack, the paratroopers supported by tanks swept across the Augusta Victoria Hill and the Mount of Olives and then down its slopes to the northern end of the Kidron valley below the city walls. Part of the force then took up defensive positions blocking the road from Jericho. A Jordanian infantry brigade had moved up that road during the night in order to strengthen the Jordanian forces in Jerusalem, but at first light had been engaged by the Israeli Air Force and by Israeli artillery from the Jerusalem area. The force was scattered and forced to withdraw before it could even deploy.
Gur in his half-track now took the lead of the third battalion which, supported by a platoon of tanks, was approaching St. Stephen’s Gate, and led the entry into the Old City. He was rapidly followed by the three battalions of his Brigade. From the wide, open area of the Temple Mount, Gur’s units spread out in order to mop-up such areas of resistance as might remain, but, apart from occasional snipers, little resistance was encountered. The bulk of the Jordanian forces had withdrawn. Thus, by
10.00 hours, the Israeli forces had reached the holiest of Jewish shrines — the Wailing Wall. A brief and very moving ceremony to mark what was considered by Israelis to be one of the great moments in a very long national history took place on this historic occasion. At this point, the Arab lay leaders presented themselves to Colonel Gur and informed him that there would be no further organized resistance. Meantime, as Gur’s forces entered the Old City, units of the 16th Jerusalem Brigade under Colonel Amitai were mopping-up to the south of the city from Mount Zion to Silwan and the Dung Gate. The Brigade then advanced southwards, overcoming the Mar Elias positions and, encountering but light resistance, took in quick succession Bethlehem, Etzion and Hebron.
Pushing south from Hebron, the Jerusalem forces linked up on 8 June with units of the Israeli Southern Command.
World History
