Communication channels carved into the mountain, camouflaged concrete positions, and artillery batteries that dominated the Israeli coastline – 59 years after the liberation of Judea and Samaria, the avenue of fortifications established by the Jordanian Legion in West Benjamin is being revealed for the first time, facing the "narrow waist" of the State of Israel before 1967.
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The fortifications, found on the grounds of the 'Kela David' farm in West Binyamin, are located on a strategic ridge that rises above the coastal plain and Lod Airport - now Ben Gurion Airport.
Long communication trenches, fortified bunkers, firing positions and artillery batteries built by the Jordanians in the years before the Six-Day War, as part of a military array designed to threaten the center of the country, were uncovered at the site.
The findings are connected to a rare Military Intelligence map from May 1967, just weeks before the outbreak of the war, which shows a chain of Jordanian outposts and batteries along the Benjamin Mountains. The map clearly shows artillery batteries aimed at the Dan Bloc and Lod Airport, alongside defensive arrays spread out along the ridge line that topographically dominates the center of the country.
Anyone who walks among the abandoned canals today finds it hard to believe how close the danger was: from the Benjamin Mountains, one can directly view the coastal plain, the cities of the Dan Bloc, and Israel's main air and transportation routes. In those days, the width of the State of Israel in the Sharon region was only about 15 kilometers.
During the Six-Day War, heavy fighting took place in the area. IDF forces acted quickly and courageously to take control of the mountain ridge and prevent artillery fire on the center of the country. Thanks to quick and heroic action, the forces were able to seize the area, surround Ramallah, and within hours remove a major strategic threat from millions of Israeli citizens.
The fortifications are now being revealed for the first time thanks to the 'Kela David' farm, which was established on the same strategic ridge where the Jordanian Legion was once stationed. Before the farm was established, there was an Arab takeover of the land, but in recent years the place has returned to Israeli control. According to the cabinet decision, a new settlement called 'Mish'ol' is expected to be established there in the future.
Head of the Binyamin Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, Yisrael Gantz, said: "Anyone who sees with their own eyes the trenches, the concrete posts and the embankments directed towards Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion International Airport immediately understands why it is forbidden to give up the mountain avenue. 59 years after the liberation of Judea and Samaria, reality proves once again that control of the Binyamin Mountains is not a political question but a question of life and security for millions of Israeli citizens.".
Gantz added: "In the last war with Iran, we saw how the Benjamin Valley became the interception belt that protects the State of Israel. If we are not here, Israel's enemies, terrorist organizations and Iranian proxies with drones, anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft guns and artillery will be here, who can easily threaten Tel Aviv, Ben-Gurion Airport and the entire center of the country. The choice is clear: either the State of Israel on the mountain - or extremist and corrupt terrorist elements who will endanger the citizens of Israel.".
David Eliyahu, owner of the 'David's Sling' farm, said: "When you walk inside the trenches and bunkers that the Jordanian Legion carved here and look directly at Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion International Airport from there, you realize that this is not a distant historical story. It is a tangible reminder of what would have happened if the State of Israel had not controlled the mountain. For years, they tried to take control of the land here and eliminate the Israeli presence, and today, precisely because of our hold on the place, the fortifications that were hidden here for decades are being revealed. This farm preserves not only the land but also the memory and security of the State of Israel.".
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