Thread by @lennybendavid

#IsraelIndependenceDay 🇮🇱 this week. Picture 2 - A Hill of Beans! Translation of "Tel al Ful" in Arabic.
It's the original "Givat Shaul," Saul's Hill where he built his palace 3,000 y.a on one of the high hills around Jerusalem.
Where King Hussein started to build his palace
1/

2/ In the Bible the hill was known as "Gibeah/Givah," site of the infamous tale of the murder of the "concubine" in the Book of Judges that led to civil war vs Tribe of Benjamin. Later as King Saul's Hill.
1931 aerial photo
Modern photo: red lines=1949 armistice lines in Jer'm.

3/ Givah Hill.
British captured Jerusalem on December 11, 1917. Turks retreated north.
Allenby set up defensive position in north at Tel al Ful. Turkish counter-attack came on Dec. 26 & was beaten off by force led by a Lieutenant.
Pics of Turkish dead, weaponry, burial party

4/ King Hussein of Jordan began building his palace on the strategic hill in the 1960s but 1967 war stopped it.
A tank battle took place on the hill w Jordanian Patton tanks that had crossed the River into the West Bank (despite a US prohibition) vs Israeli older Sherman tanks.

5/ The IDF mustered some Fouga training planes, hung rockets on them, & sent them to block Jordanian tank reinforcements coming up from the Jordan Valley. In the battle on Tel el Ful, several Jordanian tanks were knocked out & rest withdrew.

6/ The Palestinian Wakf tried taking land at Tel el Ful, but were stopped by Israeli authorities who keep the land for Jordan.
There's still a Queen Nor road leading to the palace shell.
Maybe one day, Jordan will build its embassy there, Inshallah. 🇮🇱 🇯🇴