Combat Course of Action in 1948 The Arab Army fought violent fights against Jewish armies that assaulted the arab lands, with the following being the most notable: Jerusalem Battles On the 15th, 16th, and 17th of May, a strong Jewish offensive on the arab areas occurred, and the lands surrounding Jerusalem were occupied. His Majesty King Abdullah called the commander of the 6th Battalion (Abdullah Al-Tal) on Monday, May 17th, and ordered him to move to Jerusalem to defend it. This is mainly because the city is of paramount importance to him, the Arabs, and the Muslims. He received countless calls from the residents of Jerusalem, notably Ahmed Helmy Pasha's request for assistance on May 16-17, 1948. He reiterated the call to defend the city, otherwise, Jerusalem would fall. On the morning of May 17, 1948, the Council of Ministers held a session in the Royal Court headed by King Abdullah and in the presence of Glubb and his assistant, Major General Abdul Qadir Al-Jundi. The king said: (I want you to organize a regency council for the throne, since I want to take command of the soldiers in Jerusalem myself, because I can't bear to watch Jerusalem fall.) On May 18, 1948, around 0340 hours, a green flare shell lit up the sky of Jerusalem, signaling the Arab Army's arrival into the Old City. Its mission was to repel enemy attacks at Jerusalem's gates and exert pressure on the Jewish troops in the Jewish neighborhood. Fierce battles took place in the old neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Military Operations in 1948 Following the Partition Resolution, Britain stated that it would withdraw permanently from Palestine on May 15, 1948. The Arabs and Jews stood at a fork in the road, and the disagreement between their points of view was intense. There was no way to negotiate a settlement, so the two sides began preparing for that day. The Position of the Two Parties: Jordanian and Jewish Forces. The situation on May 15, 1948 between the Jordanian Arab Army and the invading Jewish forces occupying Palestine was as follows: Jordanian Armed Forces/Arab Army: Its infantry division consisted of three brigades and numbered (4500) four thousand five hundred people Jewish Military Forces: consisted of (62) sixty-two thousand regular soldiers called the Haganah and (6300) Six thousand three hundred men of terrorist organizations and (2000) two thousand force subject to Britain. Arab countries decided to send Arab forces to Palestine as a result of the developments in Palestine and upon King Abdullah's desire. On May 15 and Jordanian Arab Army entered Palestine along with the Arab armies and moved from Jenin to Afula, with part of it moving from the Jordan River's Al-Majam Bridge to Beisan - Afula. The Battle of Sheikh Jarrah Orders were issued to the 2nd battalion at 0345 on May 19 to take control of the area extending from Sheikh Jarrah to Bab Al-Wad and advance until it reached the Jerusalem wall and contacted the 6th Battalion. The 2nd battalion was replaced by the 3rd battalion, which attacked Notre Dame and stayed until September 17, 1948, before being replaced by the 5th Battalion. The Arab Army soldiers fought with courage for which they were known, and close fighting took place from house to house and room to room, and the Jews attempted to enter Jerusalem more than once, but failed due to the valor of the Arab Army Surrender of the Jewish Quarter. The Jewish Quarter's strength was estimated to be (480) fortified fighters and they were given orders to defend until the end. The Arab Army tightened the noose around the Jewish Quarter until it surrendered at daybreak on May 28, and arrangements were made to sign the handover document. After permitting women, children, the elderly to pass to the Jewish neighborhoods in the new Jerusalem the number of prisoners was (340) three hundred and forty prisoners, and the losses of the enemy amounted to (300) three hundred dead, and our losses (14) fourteen martyrs,(25) twenty-five wounded. Following negotiations, Jordan freed the Jewish prisoners in exchange for the release of roughly 5,000 Palestinian citizens detained by the Jews during their takeover of Palestinian cities and villages. The Jews continued to attack the walls of Jerusalem as well as the Arab Army's strongholds. Starting from Shuafat Hill and the Sheikh Jarrah area in the north to Bethlehem in the south, the two sides assumed opposing positions. Battle of Radar At 0345 on May 26, the 1st Battalion occupied Radar Hill, where it controlled the Ramallah-Jerusalem road. The enemy's attempts to control it continued every night, even during the truce days. Battle of Ramat Rachel settlement Ramat Rachel settlement is located south of Jerusalem and overlooks the Jerusalem-Bethlehem road. The attack was carried out on May 15, and the settlement was seized. Battles of Latrun and Bab Al-Wad. Latrun is situated on a rugged mountain range that overlooks the plains of Lod and Ramla from the west and the valley, through which the Bab Al-Wad road, which connects the coastal plain with Jerusalem, passes from the east The 4th Battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel Habis Al-Majali, was sent to Latrun on May 17, 1948, and took defensive positions. The enemy force advanced until it reached a very close distance and was unable to penetrate the site, so it withdrew in the morning, and the battalion sent several successful night and day patrols in the following days. On May 24, the area was reinforced by the 4th Battalion of the 2nd Battalion. On May 24, the 4th Battalion was reinforced by the 2nd Battalion in the Bab Al-Wad area and mountain Yalu, and a reserve armored company was established for the two battalions. At 0330 hours On May 25, the Jewish 7th Brigade attacked the 4th Battalion's positions and was forced to retreat, leaving (800) eight hundred dead people, equipment, and weapons behind. Three martyrs were presented by the Jordanian Arab Army. "And you, the valiant Army, who are not sinful, I thank the living among your soldiers and the dead," the founding King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein said in a message to the Arab Army soldiers who fought the Jews in the battles of Latrun and the eternal Bab Al-Wad. And my message to all commanders, officers, and soldiers is to remember every effort of your trainers, because you are truly the pride of the country and its fence, so stay true to yourself and your determination, and God will support and protect you. I say this, and there is no sin on you and you never failed to accept your responsibilities to our Palestinian brothers. The enemy continued to explore the Arab Army's positions and assembled three brigades to invade the Arab Army's defensive positions in Latrun. The attack began at 2100 hrs on May 30 and was defeated, with the enemy losing 161 dead, excluding the wounded. Several weapons and vehicles were seized, and the battalion suffered four martyrs. On June 9, the enemy attempted a third attack, but failed, and when word of the great victory in Latrun and Bab Al-Wad reached King Abdullah, he was overjoyed and ordered the division's leadership to send a telegram to Commander Habis Al-Majali, which read: His Majesty thanks you for your brilliant victories that you are achieving from time to time, His Majesty desires that you continue to do so. His Majesty wishes for you to hold the armored vehicles you took in the battle of Latrun this morning so that he can come and see them. On the morning of June 1, 1948, King Abdullah arrived at Latrun accompanied by three armored vehicles from the 1st Brigade led by Lieutenant Saleh Al-Shara, inspected the site of the battle and listened to a brief explanation of its progress. Then he addressed the commander of the battalion and its ranks, saying: (You and your soldiers are defending a land that was preceded by great leaders such as Amr ibn Al-Aas and Salah Al-Din. Among the Habis fish, what made a mistake because you imprisoned the enemy and prevented his advance. Your 4th battalion is the winning battalion, God willin. Lod and Ramla clashes On June 2, a force was sent and attacked and cleared the settlement of Gesher, and attacked the colony of Bir Ya'qub. Military Operations - Phase II July 18-9, 1948 The Jews benefited from the truce period by reorganizing their forces and accommodating weapons, equipment and various types of ammunition that they received from several sources, fortifying their positions, occupying as many strategic hills as possible, drawing up tight military plans, and changing their combat doctrine depending primarily on offense battles between the Arab Army and the Jewish forces as includes the following: The fall of Lod and Ramla On the morning of July 9, 1948, the enemy launched a four-brigade attack from the east to encircle the two cities, clashing with the Arab Army Company and inflicting some losses on it. The company withdrew on the night of July 12 after receiving the withdrawal order. The battle of Beit Nabala and Deir Tarif. The order was issued to the 1st battalion to oppose the enemy attacks, and the battalion was able to retake the two villages and the camp on Saturday, October 10th, forcing the enemy to retreat. The positions of the Jordanian Arab Army units on May 15, 1948 On the afternoon of Saturday, May 10, the Arab Army units were stationed in the following locations: Division's command: near the village of Beitin, northeast of Ramallah. Later moved to Petunia First Brigade Command: Askar stable - east of Nablus First battalion - Deir Sharaf village, at the crossroads of Nablus - Jenin road, with forward points and patrols in the area of Tulkarm, Al-Naqiliya, Shweika and Baqa Al-Gharbia The first armored company joined the Battalion on May 18, coming from Kfar Etzion. Groups of Jordanian fighters from the Al-Huwaitat tribes, Alhwetat, Bani Sakhr, Bani Sarhan, Bani Hassan and Bani Kaled joined this Battalion. The third battalion - was stationed in the lands of Hawara, south of Nablus, on the basis that it was a reserve force for other battalions H.Q of the 3rd Brigade, Betonya village to the west of Ramallah Second Battalion: Bedouin village First Company: Al-Qubeiba - - Off Radar Hill Second Company: The Heights of Nabi Samuel Third Company: Bedouin High - off the radar Armored Company: Within the battalion's front, and directly linked to the brigade's command Fourth Battalion: Between the villages of Kharbatha and Deir Nidham The first company: near the village of Deir Nizam The second company: - east of the village of Kharbatha The third Company: Biet Sera Triangle Artillery Battalion: At the division headquarters - Ramallah (Commander Hearst, Chief Polk. Assistant Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Mustafa Al-Khasawneh - Military Staff, Candidate Bahjat Al-Han - Logistics officer, Agent Boutros Hamarka - Translator). First battery: (8 cannons) The first category: the village of Beit Hanina, and then the village of Al-Jib (Jerusalem sector - Ramallah) First category: Beit Nuba village Battery Commander: Deputy Commander Muhammad Al-Maaytah Battery Officer: First Lieutenant Shaher Abu Shahout, First Lieutenant Amer Khamash, Second Lieutenant Muhammad Najib Al-Barakat, Candidates: Salem Faleh Al-Batayneh, Mahmoud Al-Maaytah, Abdulaziz Asfour, Abdul Razzaq Al-Sharif, Mashhour Al-Sharideh Second battery: 8 cannons - 2 Groups Nablus sector first, then moved to the village of Beit Hanina Battery Commander: Chief Rowenson (then Lieutenant General Emile Jmeaeen Battery Officer: Second Lieutenant - Theeb Allawi, Munther Enab, Abdullah Al-Bitar. Candidates - Juel Wadeeh, Muhammad Al-Khasawneh, Shafiq Jumaan, Ihsan Al-Halhouli, Muhammad Khalil Abd Al-Dayem Battles of Latrun (Al-Burj, Qolla, and Kharab Al-Lahm 9-18/7/1948) On the morning of July 13, 1948, the enemy resumed its attack to encircle Latrun as part of the (Dani) operation that the Jews began with the occupation of Lod and Ramla. Starting in the north, from Beit Nabala and Qula, the Arab Army established a line of defensive outposts. They clashed with the enemy in a series of battles until they reached Salfit and Beit Nuba in the south, the most important of which were the Battle of Yalu on July 15, the Battle of Qula, the Battle of Al-Burj on July 16, the Battle of Ras Karkar (Safa) on July 16, and the Battle of Latrun on July 18, 1948, and this (Dani) operation was led by (Bigal Alon). King Abdullah bin Al Hussein praised the Arab army's outstanding performance and was proud of his military troops, who had a high Hashemite spirit. And (8) soldiers were martyred and (5) soldiers were injured in the great battle of Latrun. King Abdullah telegraphed to the heroes of the Battle of Latrun: “I learned in detail about your combat yesterday and the valor, courage and mastery of the art of war equipped with our consent, God’s success, and good training with attacks and purges, you were able to stop the massive forces in your bombardment for fourteen hours without interruption. I thank God for that and I thank every member of my Army, every officer, non-commissioned officer, officers and commanders. I thank you and am proud of your bravery, and my country shares this pride withme. Jerusalem Battles The 6th Battalion was defending in Old Jerusalem, while the 3rd Battalion was defending from Bab Al-Amud to the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. In addition to the Irgun and Stern forces, the opposing enemy forces included two brigades. They were stationed in the passage connecting the colony of Khaldeh in the west and the Colony of Five in the east, and they resumed their attack on night of July 9/10. Military actions have resumed (third phase) August 11, 1948. The exchange of fire between the two parties continued during the second truce, and on the evening of August 11, 1948, the Jews resumed their attack on Jerusalem's neighborhoods, inflicting heavy losses, and the Arab Army occupied Jabal Al-Mukabber and Tal al-Gharbawi, and the Arab Army then did the following: a. Assisting Egyptian forces On October 22, a force from the 1st battalion took over the defense of Hebron from Egyptian forces, clashing with enemy forces in the Jibreen region, destroying (6) six armored vehicles and killing (40) forty soldiers. A decision was made that a mixed force consisting of an Iraqi battalion and a Jordanian battalion along with Egyptian units in the Hebron area to commence the process of lifting the siege on the besieged Egyptian units in Fallujah. For political reasons, the plan was not carried out, but Arab Army units continued to supply them with food and evacuate the wounded throughout the siege. Operations in Southern Palestine. On May 15, 1948, the Jordanian Badia Police took over security in southern Palestine, raising the Jordanian flag over the Marrashash police station (west of Aqaba), Ain Hassab police station (south of the Dead Sea), and Karnab police station (south of Hebron). An infantry company was sent to monitor the Wadi Araba area in October 1948, and an Israeli force pushed from Beersheba to Ain Hassab at the end of November. The Israelis assembled two brigades and marched south on March 5, 1948, with the goal of reaching Marshash on the Red Sea. Their soldiers clashed with the Arab Army's forces, and the enemy suffered some casualties. On March 10, Israeli forces were able to reach Marshash, and on March 11, 1948, the Rhodes Agreements were signed. Assuming the responsibility of areas under the control of Iraqi Army. The Jordanian delegation in the Rhodes negotiations demanded that a cease-fire be established on both the Jordanian front and on the Iraqi fronts, since the Jordanian Arab Army would replace the Iraqi Army, and it was agreed that the ceasefire lines would be modified on the Iraqi front, and the Jews obtained the Triangle lands in exchange for amending the armistice line In the Hebron and Dead Sea area in favor of Jordan, and the Fifth Battalion took over the positions of the Iraqi army from 6-14 April 1948. The war between the Arabs and the Jews continued during the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948, it consisted of two rounds: The first round took place on May 12th, 1948, and ended on June 10th, 1948. The Arab military operations were initially successful, as they crossed the first line of defense for the Jewish settlements on Palestine's boundaries. The Egyptian Army pushed to the Ashdod line - Iraq Suwaidan - Fallujah - Iraq Manshiyya - Beit Jibril without facing much resistance from the Jews. The Egyptian Army, on the other hand, came to a halt for no apparent reason, and its men were stationed in a defensive line in central Palestine, roughly 25 miles south of Tel Aviv. Military specialists are still baffled as to why the Israelis left a handful of Jewish settlements behind. During the Egyptian Army's advance with the start of their attack, a battalion of the Egyptian Army managed to make a point of contact with the Arab Army division in Bethlehem on the Bir Sheva - Jerusalem road. The Iraqi forces that crossed the Jordan River to reach (Bisan) were bombarded by Jewish forces stationed on the hights west of the Jordan River in (Kawkab al-Hawa), which had a substantial impact on the Iraqi offensive line and resulted in significant losses. The Iraqi forces rectified the matter, and advanced to Jenin and Nablus, which were taken over by the Arab Army to protect the Iraqi forces advancing towards central Palestine. As a result, the Arab forces in Qalqilya - Tulkarm were now 12 miles from the Mediterranean Sea and six miles from the Tel Aviv - Haifa road. Syrian forces advanced towards Lake Tiberias on May 16, 1948, and captured the city of Samakh to the south of the lake. Lebanese forces pushed and took control of (Al-Malikiyah), a few miles from the Lebanese-Palestinian border, in a similar move. The Salvation Army soldiers, led by Fawzi al-Qawuqji, grabbed control of an area of 10 miles deep inside Palestine and eventually came to control the crucial coastal road between Haifa and Acre. The Army then advanced and conquered Nazareth, only to be met by organized Jewish troops such as Golani, Carmeli, and Hagana. Battle of Jerusalem Following the British withdrawal from Jerusalem on May 14, 1948, Jewish and Arab forces within the city began planning to take control. By May 16, 1948, the Jewish forces had completed their control over most of the area outside the walls of the old city, with the exception of the eastern neighborhoods, and they had used mortars against Arab neighborhoods since the morning of May 15, so the people of Jerusalem asked for help from King Abdullah. On the morning of May 15, 1948, the Arab Army forces entered the King Hussein Bridge (Allenby Bridge) into Palestine, led by the leader (Noman Lash), consisting of two brigades, one of them stationed in the Nablus area, while the other was stationed in Beituniya near Ramallah. The people of Jerusalem sought the help of King Abdullah, so His Majesty sent In an urgent message to Lieutenant-General Glubb, the Chief of Staff orders him to hurry to the rescue of the Holy City, saying: The importance and location of Jerusalem in the eyes of Arabs, Muslims and Christians, is well known, and that any disaster that can befall the Arabs of Jerusalem at the hands of the Jews, whether through fighting or expulsion from their homes, will have negative effects. Too bad for us I command the necessity to preserve it by putting the only reserve of the Arab Army in hand and using it in the battle to defend Jerusalem. We must preserve everything in our hands today, the old Jerusalem and the road to Jericho, and this can be accomplished by utilizing the reserve force stationed in Jericho or by sending a force from the general reserve, and I ask you to implement the order as soon as possible. On May 17, 1948, the first two companies, led by Mahmoud al-Musa, and the second, led by commander Abd al-Razzaq Abdullah, from Saraya al-Sayyid al-Muqta’a al-Muhata’un (Independent Garrison) of the Arab Army, occupied the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem from the eastern side, and King Abdullah had issued his orders on May 17, 1948 to Abdullah Al-Tal, the commander of the 6th battalion to enter Jerusalem and save it from the Jewish forces, after Abdullah Al-Tal had explained to the king that one or two companies would not be enough to save it, as saving the holy city is a religious and political demand for the entire Islamic world, and the loss of Jerusalem would be a severe blow to the Arabs. In addition to Jerusalem holy status, it's the key to Palestine, so whoever occupies Jerusalem occupies Palestine (1). On the same day, King Abdullah ordered the Arab Army forces to advance from Ramallah to Jerusalem, and the city was bombarded with heavy artillery. On May 18, 1948, two groups of the soldiers of the first infantry Company/ the Arab Army Forces, advanced from the Mount of Olives and bypassed the Gethsemane Church, passing through the Kidron Valley and then the Church of the Virgin Mary, and then climbing the slope to the Asbat Gate. The first group was led by 1st Lt. Nawaf Aljaber Alehmoud, and the 2nd group led by Lt. Mustafa Ibrahim Al-Shobaki. In an effort to take the Jewish Quarter in Old Jerusalem, they entered the Old City through the Alasbat Gate and clashed with Jewish forces within Jerusalem On the same day, May 18, orders were issued to the commanders of the Arab Army units to attack (Sheikh Jarrah). Simultaneously, orders were issued to the 8th Infantry Company on the Mount of Olives to advance towards Old Jerusalem. On the morning of May 19, 1948, the armored vehicles of the Arab Army advanced towards (Sheikh Jarrah) and took over the (French Hill), which overlooks the northern entrances to the city, and from there to the police school, which was in the hands of the Jewish (Argon) forces at the time, and they contacted the 6th Battalion. The police school fell into the hands of the Arab Army After fierce battles between Arab Army and the Jewish forces which took advantage of this success and occupied (Sheikh Jarrah) to contact the people inside the old city, and cut off the only Jewish supply route to (Mount Scopus) and the battle of Sheikh Jarrah was one of the fiercest battles in history, the 1st Division sent to Sheikh Jarrah all the forces that could be mobilized, and this combat demonstrated the Jordanian soldiers' bravery and heroism in a way that inspires pride and admiration. The Arab Army's armored vehicles then advanced and reached Jerusalem city limits through Bab Al-Amud. Jordanian forces began preparing to attack the city's Jewish quarter. They then launched a constant bombardment of the city, signaling the start of the decisive fight to retake Jerusalem. The Arab Army increased its bombing of West Jerusalem, targeting the Jewish Agency's headquarters, electricity stations, and other targets in the city center, with no distinction made between them. The purpose was to break the Jewish people's spirits, and living in besieged West Jerusalem became untenable. The Arab Army's artillery attacked West Jerusalem with about ten thousand shells, in addition to a continuous bombardment of machine-gun rounds, so that no house was spared from shells or shrapnel. And the Jewish residents suffered from the lack of water and food. The water pipeline from Jerusalem to the coast was blown up, and water was provided to the Jewish population in the form a bucket of water per household per day, but food and fuel were few. The Arab Army concentrated its attack and became focused on subjugating the city of Jerusalem, and its cannons stationed on the heights to the north of Jerusalem, including the French Hill, bombarded the city continuously without interruption. The Jordanians were able to expel the forces of (Arjun) from the Sheikh Jarrah area, and isolate the Jewish neighborhood in Old Jerusalem, So the Haganah was given orders to attack (Bab Al-Khalil) with the goal of penetrating the old city, and this attack resulted in significant casualties and was repulsed. A Jewish force led by David Elazar sneaked up on the high slopes of Mount Zion on the night of May 18/19, 1948, and took Mount Zion, then continued their march to (the Prophet David's Gate) and crossed it. They joined the Jewish forces defending the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. In the meantime, fierce battles raged in the old neighborhoods of Jerusalem, and the 6th Battalion led by Abdullah Al-Tal was order into the city by King Abdullah, who saw the danger of the situation in Jerusalem and the necessity of defending it and its sanctities. Abdullah Al-Tal launched counterattacked and his forces led by commander Mahmoud al-Mousa expelled the Jewish forces after inflicting heavy losses on them, and the number of their dead reached (60) and the Jewish neighborhood became besieged.At the same time, Arab militant forces launched a major attack on the the western city at the Mandelboom Gate area. Meanwhile, other Arab Army forces launched an attack through which they were able to enter Bab Al-Zahra, led by Eid Adelim, and then marched through one of the streets until they reached Bab Al-amood, and from there they advanced towards the very fortified (Notre Dame), where the Arab Army soldiers fought a fierce battle. Then the Arab Army 3rd battalion then advanced with armored vehicles to the (Al-Masara) neighborhood on the road extending from Bab Al-Amoud to Notre Dame. Passing through the old city walls and the monastery, which was bombed with cannons in an attempt to seize Notre Dame. The battle was fierce between the Arab Army and the Jews in the monastery, and as a result, at noon on May 23, 1948 in the Battle of Notre Dame the Arab Army lost 100 of its soldiers, between a martyr and a wounded person. As for the 4th company, it lost all its officers and non-commissioned officers except for one. The Jews destroyed some Jordanian armored vehicles near the Notre Dame wall, which collapsed above it. Ruins piled the road between the monastery and the wall of the old city which was completely closed, as a result it hindered the progress of the Arab Army forces, losses of the 3rd battalion of the Arab Army were great, and Glubb, the commander of the Arab Army, saw (that it is impossible to get involved in a more complex form of war, that is street fighting, so he decided to reduce his losses). So the action on West Jerusalem was stopped, and thus (the Arab Army had to stop a few yards from the heart of the Jewish city in Jerusalem, and the Jewish city was saved), because the attack on Notre Dame was stopped by the order of the commander (Glubb), Sulaiman Musa states Glubb mentioned in his book ( A soldier with of the Arabs) (The infantrymen were forced to withdraw from the Notre Dame building, after they had become almost surrounded, and the number of dead and wounded had risen to a dangerous level. Half of the 200 men who started the attack were killed or critically injured. The 4th Company, led by Ghazi Al-Harbi, lost all but one of the officers and NCOs. Despite thirst, sweat and sometimes hunger, the officers and men of the 3rd Battalion fought the battle with tremendous courage and valor for three days, battling with determination. According to the Australian Newman, commander of the 3rd Battalion that fought the Battle of Notre Dame, who had knowledge of the men’s battle, he said: Back to May 24, 1948, for the Jews, it was a bloody day and a massacre for them. The number of fighters in the Jewish neighborhood and Jerusalem was about 1,800, including 300 of the Haganah and the Arjun, and the soldiers of the Arab Army fought with courage of which they were known. Close combat took place from house to house and from room to room. The Jews attempted to enter Jerusalem several times but were unsuccessful due to the Arab Army's courage. When the ammunition ran out and the Jewish positions were abandoned one by one, the area defended by the Jewish forces shrank and the number of wounded grew, the Jews were sent to the commander of the Sixth Army (Abdullah Al-Tal) on May 28, 1948, to surrender, and a number of Jewish fighters were taken as prisoners of war. The Arab Army permitted the civilians to go, and there were a total of (1,190) people. Commander Abdullah Al-Tal, President Mahmoud al-Musa, and President Fadel Abdullah led Jordanian Arab Army in retaking the Jewish Quarter. The Jews were represented by Moshe Roznic, the leader of the Haganah in Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter, and Adon Mordechai von Garten, the neighborhood's mayor (Weingarten), in addition to the UN representative in Jerusalem (Senior Iscari) (Azcarate).The terms of surrender stipulated that the Jewish forces in Jerusalem lay down their arms and hand them over to the Arab Army, that male fighters to be taken as prisoners of war, and that the old men, women, children and the wounded be allowed to leave the old Jerusalem to the new Jerusalem by the International Red Cross, provided that the Arab Army undertakes to protect all surrendered Jews, and the Arab Army occupies the ghettos in Old Jerusalem. He transferred 350 prisoners to Mafraq detention camp. As for their dead, there were (300) deceased, (136) of them belonging to the Irgun gang. Of the Jordanian army's 14 martyred soldiers, 80 were wounded; half of them were critically injured. Jewish lines had been established, and the commander of the Arab Army realized the magnitude of the losses that could result from his forces being involved in close combat from house to house, so he decided to focus on starving the Jewish city until it surrender by tightening his grip on the Jerusalem road, especially in the Latrun area. In fact, Glubb and his officers, especially the artillery officers, manipulated and conspired against Jerusalem, and were even accomplices with the Jews. When the bombing of the Jewish city of Jerusalem intensified with Jordanian artillery, the screams of the Jews rose and they resorted to Glubb, so he ordered the transfer of the deputy of the commander Muhammad Al-Maaytah to the station camp in Amman, Al-Maaytah was the highest ranking officer in Jordanian artillery. The entry of the 6th Battalion led by Abdullah Al-Tal was not by Glubb’s orders, but rather by direct orders from King Abdullah, who realized through his wise judgment that Jerusalem was on its way to being lost, adding to that people of Jerusalem sought help from King Abdullah many times to rescue Jerusalem and its sanctities. We shouldn’t forget the assistance provided to the Arab Army during the battle of Jerusalem by the people of Jerusalem. Glubb, Lash and other British officers failed in the plan to attack Jerusalem, as companies enter and others withdraw. Forces were ordered to attack and then retreat. Arab Army could have occupied all of Jerusalem (West and East), but the leadership was not sincere in moving its forces, arming them and laying down tight plans for them. Ali Abu Nuwar states: The attack on Notre Dame was a tactical operation that did not result into expected result. The Army should have attacked New Jerusalem on a straight line from Sheikh Jarrah police station, and then deviate to the left behind Mishram. Rather, it would have been more strategic to attack New Jerusalem from the Jabal Mukaber area - Bethlehem. The Australian officer (Newman), the commander of the 3rd Battalion that fought the Battle of Notre Dame described British officers as ignorant and interested in political issues more than the art military. Hence, the Glubb and the English officers were executing the British policy and its directives, disregarding the Arab right, and the country in which they are serving. Even Glubb did not implement King Abdullah’s orders with the required speed and the entering of the Arab Army to Jerusalem. He failed to issue orders which led Jerusalem to fall into the hands of the Jews, and this angered King Abdullah, especially in this session, an argument took place between Interior Minister Hashem Khair and the General Glubb due to the excuses Gen Glubb made. So the meeting ended with a decision made by Council of Ministers for the Arab Army to enter Jerusalem, and so it was. Battles of Latrun The first and second battles 25 May - 1 June 1948. On May 15, 1948 Jordanian forces entered Palestine, and the 4th Battalion, led by Commander Habis Al-Majali, headed to Latrun, which is 15 miles west of Jerusalem and 20 miles east of Tel Aviv, to dominate the main road that connects Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and on May 22, 1948 the 4th Battalion managed to occupy it. While the battle of Old Jerusalem was at its peak, and the Arab Mujahideen from the Salvation Army and the Jihad Army had identified the weakness point of the Jewish forces which was the movement on the roads and their mobilty between the Jewish settlements in the north, central and southern Palestine, and between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.So they concentrated their war efforts in it, because their convoys were moving on those roads. Jews exaggerated this issue until they called it (The Convoy Crisis).Documents in the British archives for that period prove that there is no such thing as (The Convoy Crisis), so the British authority and its army had no doubts - even when the (The Convoy Crisis) was at its peak - that the Jewish side is the strong one, and it is the who determines the pace and form of the fighting. This is what Jews excelled in; they always declare that they are the weakest party. Their goal is to gain the support of Europe and the United States of America, and they did. The Jews insisted on running these convoys when British protection was not available in order to create crises, and the British saw these convoys as a clear provocation intended to provide enough reason for the arrogant Jews to attack, and they used these convoys as a pretext to expand their military control. The convoy strategy meant defending each settlement separately, and when a strategy in the spirit of the plan emerged, this strategy vanished, and the grand attack strategy appeared on the tenacious defense of every point and point. Since there was no longer a need for convoys, the road was closed for Jewish convoys traveling from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and the Arab Army was able to totally besiege Jerusalem and cut off the Jews' supply lines. As a result, the Jews decided to open the way to Jerusalem, tasked the 7th Brigade with transporting a supply convoy to the beleaguered city while dispatching one of the Alexandroni battalions. The aim was to take Latrun and then proceed up the road to Ramallah, through the highlands. By May 23, 1948, the Jewish forces managed to station themselves in the (Naana and Khaldeh) area, with a large convoy of supplies ready to travel to Jerusalem from (Aqer). Meanwhile, Habis al-Majali reinforced his forces with the 2nd battalion commanded by Salid, and stationed in the areas of (Yalo, Deir Ayoub, and Bab Al-Wad). The Israeli plan was for the Alexandroni battalion to seize the police station and the village of Latrun in exchange, but the Arab Army discovered what it was trying to do. The Jewish attack forces arrived along Latrun - Jerusalem road At 4 o'clock in the morning of May 23, 1948. Jordanian forces were expecting them, so they allowed them to advance until they were in the crosshairs of their devastating fire, at which point they were defeated in a panic, and hundreds of them were killed in the largest loss of its kind. At the same time, Arab Army and volunteer troops took the villages (Beit Jais and Yat Susin) at the rear of the attacking Jewish forces, and those forces became the target of their strong fire. During the preparation, it was necessary to collect information about the enemy, so on the night of May 24, 1948, Commander Habis Al-Majali dispatched a patrol of (42) soldiers led, by First Lieutenant Qassem Al-Ayed to bring information about the enemy in the Artouf area and blow up the bridge on the road (Ashwa - Artouf ) by Arab Army engineers, And the communicate with Lieutenant Issa Mufdhi, the signal officer, and to dispatch him signal warden from the 4th Battalion Command. The patrol had been given orders to confront the enemy if an encounter occurred, and the patrol completed the duty as instructed. However, the patrol surprised the Jewish forces upon its return in the foothills of the mountains opposite the 4th Battalion, and they were able to defeat the enemy on the western side after (at least 50 Jewish soldiers were killed due to gaining element of surprise) and the patrol suffered some injuries; 2 wounded, and 4 martyrs. Jewish units attempted to clear themselves and flee, but the Arab Army's artillery prevented them from doing so since they continued to pound the region relentlessly, killing a great number of Jews (and managed to extract the rest of the force with immense difficulty) The first battle of Latrun resulted in a serious defeat for the Jews at the hands of the Arab Army, prompting commander Habis Al-Majali to attack the Haganah forces' main fortified point north of Al-Quds Road on May 26, expelling the Jewish forces stationed there and capturing (Tel Al-Radar) in the Bedouin area) and expelling the garrison of Etzioni. The Arab Army's triumph resulted in a conventional observation position overlooking the main road to Jerusalem, which had been blocked by Jordanian artillery fire. More than 700 Jews were slain in the first combat in Latrun, and they lost over (1300) warriors in total in their engagements in Latrun against the Arab Army.Despite the gravity of the situation on all fronts, Ben-Gurion chose to give the Latrun front precedence, and parts of the Seventh Brigade occupied the villages of Latrun (Beit Jer and Beit Susin). American Colonel David Marcose was named commander in chief of the front between Latrun and Qadis on May 28, and Ben-Gurion emphasized the need of capturing Latrun and Bab Al-Wad in order to pave the path to Jerusalem and secure the sides, then Alexandroni battalion withdrew and it was replaced by a battalion from the Givati Brigade. The new plan set by Marcos and Sharon (later prime minister) was for the Givati battalion to take a second base from Beit Susin, and move on the Jerusalem road and capture Deir Ayyub, then (Yalu), in order to cross the Latrun-Ramallah road, which is the main supply road for the Arab Army in Latrun. At the bottom of the village of Latrun, located at the foot of the hill on the Jerusalem route, an armored battalion led by Laskof and supported by an infantry battalion had to grab the police station and neutralize the Latrun monastery. On May 30, 1948, (Dair Ayyub) fell in front of the attack of (Haafati), and when these forces moved towards (Balu), they were surprised to confront fierce fire and severe bombardment by Arab Army forces, which caught them off guard (and this was followed by immediate fear, and they withdrew without authorization). The Givati Brigade is in chaos, and Deir Ayyub has been abandoned as well. The armored commander, Laskov, was unaware of the failure of his eastern wing operation and continued on towards the police station on the outskirts of Latrun, but the armored vehicles and Jewish infantry were met with deadly fire from the Arab Army in Latrun, as well as fire from Jordanian forces from a location near the village of (Amwas). The Jewish forces were compelled to withdraw in the face of the Arab Army's tenacity after the Jordanian forces suffered significant casualties in terms of life and equipment. This heroic saga of the forces of the 4th and 2nd battalions is regarded as one of the most important battles waged by the Arab Army in Palestine. We will recognize the officers who did exceptionally well in this combat: Warrant officer Youssef Jeries, commander of the 1st company group of the 4th battalion, Lieutenant Muhammad al-Mahasna, commander of a reconnaissance patrol in the 1st company of the 4th battalion, and Lieutenant Turki Yousef al-Hindawi, commander of a reconnaissance patrol in the 1st company of the 4th battalion, and Chief Saleh al-Eid, commander of the 3rd company of the 4th battalion, and the chief Izzat Hassan, commander of the Supporting Weapons Company located in a hill above the village of Amwas, Lieutenant Abdul Majeed Al-Maaytah, commander of one of the independent security companies at Latrun Police Station, who was martyred in this battle, and Deputy Youssef Saab, commander of Vickers machine guns at Latrun Police Station, and private first class Mahmoud Ali Al-Rousan, one of the defenders of the Latrun Police Station (he was martyred inside),Lieutenant Hamdan Al-Sabih, a group commander in the Armored Corps of the 4th Battalion, and Chief Rafifan Khaled Al-Harisha, the commander of the 3rd company of the 2nd battalion, which was closest to Bab Al-Wad and the candidate Ali Mithqal Al-Fayez, one of the Jordanian fighters from the 2nd battalion who confronted the Jews with great courage. The losses of the 4th and 2nd battalions in this battle of Latrun, were the martyrdom of four and the wounding of seven fighters. As for the enemy’s losses, they were (161) dead, including (103) Jewish died in the vicinity of the 4th Battalion, (17) in Latrun, (49) at the Battalion companies fronts, (37) in the police station, (58) Jewish dead in the area of the 2nd battalion. Four Jewish armored trucks, about 200 rifles, and a quantity of machine guns and hand grenades were confiscated by the 4th Battalion. The areas of Latrun and Bab Al-Wad were strategically and militarily vital areas for both the Arab Army and the Jews; without the valiant men of the Fourth Infantry Brigade controlling this area, the Jews would not have been able to send weapons, ammunition, and fighters to Jerusalem, and Jordanian forces fighting on the Jerusalem front would have been unable to control the area Old Jerusalem and its holy sites. For the Jews of Jerusalem and the seaside, the path through Latrun was critical. According to David Ben-Gurion, if we can infiltrate the Arab Army's positions, we will have won the war. The primary front, not the Negev or the Galilee, is where the Arab Army is stationed: Jerusalem and the Jerusalem highlands. I have the utmost respect for the Arab Army. On June 1, 1948, the joint Arab military operations lost their momentum and retreated. The Egyptian forces are still stationed in the general main line: Ashdod - Beit Jibrin. And the Iraqi forces were on the line, the general main line: Jenin Qalqilya - Tulkarm After a brief and limited advance into Palestine, the Lebanese and Syrians were unable to progress. Over this date, the Arab Army established a firm grasp on Latrun and the old Jerusalem, and in this case, it commanded an advanced point of around (70) miles with four infantry battalions, which had been suffering from a large shortage (25 percent) up to that point. In the midst of the conflict over the Palestinian land, Britain, as usual, stabbed the Arab nation with complicity and treachery, and when it felt that the position in the Palestine war tended to the Arab side, it stabbed the Arab nation with complicity and treachery. Britain has submitted a resolution to the UN Security Council asking on Arabs and Jews in Palestine to agree to a four-week truce treaty, as well as a request for all governments throughout the world to desist from contributing weapons and equipment to any of the sides participating in the war. The British administration withdrew the 30 officers on loan to the Arab Army from the military operations area in Palestine on May 30, 1948, but kept the 10 officers who had a personal contract with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. As a result of this decision, the division's command was split into a military command that stayed in Beitunia, directed by contract officer (Chief Lash) and aided by debuty commander Ali Al-Hiyari and rear command in the area (Yusha in Salt) and in it (Commander Dawnz, the first operational officer, assisted by Jones,and 2nd operation officer chief Sadeq Alsharea The command of the 1st Brigade was transferred from Palestine (Ramallah area) to the area of Salt (Yushaa). As for the command of the 3rd Brigade, it remained in the Ramallah area, and the commanders of the 1st , 2nd and 3rd Brigades and artillery commanders moved to Zarqa in Jordan. This decision did not reduce or weaken the morale and fighting spirit of the members of the Arab Army, but they remained with a great degree of enthusiasm, sacrifice and redemption. The performance of the Jordanian forces was a great performance from the first round, and it is above all questions. The fight that the Arab Army performed was appreciated and respected by all. When Glubb wrote his brief about the war, he said: The Arab Army proved during the war that it was the master of all battles. In any case, it did not lose its control and its excellent performance in the attack, and the only failure was in its attempt to control Notre Dame in Jerusalem. I myself canceled other attempts in order to avoid any loss that could lead to the killing of any soldier in those battles The third battle and the great attack on Latrun, June 9, 1948. Jews were able to build a bumpy road through the mountains (Burma Road) to deliver supplies to Jerusalem, but it was of limited benefit, and the Jewish leadership remained concerned with the importance of the Latrun area and Bab al-Wad from the strategic point of view. Therefore, Ben-Gurion issued orders to launch a major attack led by Colonel (David Marcus), so Marcos came to the 7th Brigade with instructions from (Ben-Gurion) to take charge of the entire Jerusalem front, provided that the following brigades, the Seventh, Harel and Etzioni to be under his command. Then the 7th Brigade moved and was replaced by (Yiftah Brigade) led by (Yigal Allon), this brigade was moved from Galilee to the Latrun area. As for the (Hareel) Brigade, it was centered between Jerusalem and the area extending from the five settlements to the foothills of Palu. As for the Seventh Brigade, he had to cover the attack, his artillery, and also take over the protection of Burma Road. The attack began on June 9, 1948. The Yaftah Brigade moved in offensive coordination with one of the (Hareel) battalions to the heights overlooking Latrun from the east, and the third major battle began on the heights of Latrun and Yalu. The enemy began firing its heavy and supportive weapons at the positions of the fourth and second battalions, at the Jordanian heavy artillery, and at the second battalion's transportation center in the village of (Beit Nuba). Jordanian heavy artillery responded with heavy bombardment on the opposite enemy positions, and the exchange of shelling continued until midnight- At about ten o'clock at night -, the 5th Battalion, led by Shadmi from the Hareel Brigade, began advancing towards the northwest, aiming to capture the heights of Yalu, then reaching the hill overlooking the village of Deir Ayoub to reach the cannons of the 2nd battalion which was stationed there. (3).commander Habis Al-Majali had distributed forces' companies as follows. 1st Company. On the northwest side of Latrun to protect the entrance to the village of 'Imwas. 2nd Company. Its center is in the Latrun Monastery on the southern side of the site. 3rd Company On the northeastern side of the battalion front, on Muadh hill; the highest site in that area. Supported by a group from the supportive Company; led by Lieutenant Muhammad Naim. Supportive Company Its center was a hill overlooking Wadi Amwas. It directed its cannons towards Deir al-Latrun and the police station. As for the battalion command and the head quarter company, it was on the edge of Muadh hill from the northwest side.. And the battle took place, states Haim Herzog: "A series of mistakes occurred, as the (Hareel) Brigade occupied a wrong position, and when (yeftah) Brigade moved towards what was thought a friendly position, it fell under concentrated fire of the Arab Legion. The attack turned into chaos, and the attack failed on latrun This battle was one of the bloodiest encounters between the Arab Army and the Jewish soldiers. Jordanian soldiers were also brave, and they left an indelible mark on the Arab Army's and heroism's history. This combat claimed the lives of seven Arab Army martyrs, one transportation soldier, four militants, and one civilian from the village of 'Amwas. In addition, 16 people were injured, including two militants. In terms of enemy casualties, they were commanded by the attacking leader (David Marcus), and they left (97) corpses on the battlefield, with the exception of the dead and injured who were pulled off. Soldiers and combatants were able to take home (120) rifles, (5) machine guns, two radios, and a considerable amount of equipment. The 5th Infantry Company, led by President Adeeb Al-Qassem, arrived at the 4th Battalion's positions in Latrun on June 10, 1948, to reinforce them, and took their positions while enemy bombs and shells fell and exploded all around them. After 27 days of grueling hard warfare, the first cease-fire was declared at 0600 hours on June 11. The Arab troops controlled the Negev, central Palestine, and sections of Galilee until this date, in addition to the city of Jerusalem. The Egyptian Army is closely tied to Tel Aviv at a distance of 25 miles. The Iraqi and Arab armies tightened their grip on the cities of Nablus, Jerusalem, and Hebron. The Jews controlled the tiny coastal strip of Palestine as well as the majority of the Galilee. The Iraqi soldiers were at Qalqilya and Tulkarm, on a notable protrusion 12-15 miles from the Mediterranean Sea, in an offensive position from which they could attack and hit the crucial road connecting Tel Aviv and Haifa, which was six miles distant from the Iraqi forces. We must remember with great admiration the forces of the Jordanian Arab Army, which forced the 7th Brigade of the Haganah into the dirt, and gangs (Argon and Stern) in the battles of Jerusalem and the battles of Latrun, and inflicted hundreds of dead, wounded and prisoners on them. The first armistice, which began on June 11, 1948, gave Arab and Jewish combating parties the chance to reorganize their forces. Weapons and ammunition were needed by the Arab Army, but Jordanian financial resources were limited. In terms of organization, the six independent brigades were brought together and the Fifth and Sixth Brigades were formed from them. Thus, the three brigades in Old Jerusalem became affiliated with the 6th Battalion entrusted with the task of defending Old Jerusalem (). As for the Jews, they welcomed the armistice because their forces were exhausted, and it was an opportunity to reorganize and arm their forces. Ben Gurion declared the formation of (one defensive force): it unifies all Jewish armed organizations in Palestine under one command, and weapons and equipment were delivered from Europe, particularly Czechoslovakia.) Artillery forces were added, and the 8th Armored Brigade was formed from a collection of tanks and armored vehicles from other countries, while the Air Force continued to receive planes. As a result, the weaponry gap between Jewish and Arab troops narrowed; also, a steady stream of fresh immigrants arrived in Palestine from camps in Europe and Cyprus, tipping the balance in favor of Jewish military forces, which were the most heavily armed, and under the leadership of one uniform. Before the end of this truce, the Arab League Council met in Cairo, and Jordan was represented in this meeting by Prime Minister Tawfiq Abu Al-Huda, accompanied by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Arab Army, Abdel Qader Al-Jundi, representing the military forces. The Arab leaders differed about the decision to continue the fighting, and they agreed that the decision should be given to the politicians, and thus the Arab armies should focus on defense lines only, meaning to defend and not attack. A shock to the masses of the Arab nation, who understood that there were great victories achieved by the Arab armies in Palestine, but reality, was otherwise. Palestine was emptying its people, and the Jews were increasing the armament of their forces, and huge military supplies were arriving from Europe. During this armistice period, King Abdullah visited Egypt on June 22, 1948, in his capacity as the supreme commander of the Arab armies in Palestine, and discussed with the King Farouk war matters, and in their meetings, opinions were exchanged. King Abdullah requested to visit the Egyptian command center in Palestine, but this request was met with refusal. King Abdullah invited King Farouk to visit Jerusalem, but he apologized, then King Abdullah asked for a ship of weapons confiscated by the Egyptian authorities in the Suez Canal, which was sent from the British camps in the fighting to the Arab Army, but he was told that its weapons were distributed to the Egyptian Army. The Arab leaders appear to lack the element of trust, as they have doubts about each other's aspirations. As the supreme commander of the Arab forces, King Abdullah wanted to consolidate his leadership and establish more unity in directing the war, but the Arab leaders were frightened of annexing the Arab sections of Palestine to his kingdom. Even when King Abdullah said on May 15 that he would dispatch his troops to Palestine, no matter what other Arab leaders did, they feared that King Abdullah would occupy the Arab side of Palestine in accordance with the partition decision, and this is what Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt cannot accept, so the politicians of these countries decided to enter the war. Arab political officials dealt with the Palestine issues including the war, with lack of responsibility, seriousness and with dependency. They were never up to the challenge facing them. They set up a general command for their armies based in (Amman), and they did not give it the powers and authorities that belong to this command, but rather it was a fictitious command. Arab politicians believed that the war in Palestine would be a political demonstration and not an act of war, and that the Jews would accept the conditions of the Arabs without engaging in actual fighting, and this was what Al-Naqrashi, Prime Minister of Egypt and King Farouk declared. Even the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian forces opposed entering the war in Palestine due to the lack of sufficient military equipment. The political leaders believed that the issue would be settled politically and that the clashes would not; in fact, depart from a political demonstration and not an act of war. However, the heroism and individual initiatives of the armed forces, especially the Jordanian, showed the courage, effort and giving of the Jordanian Arab soldier in the Palestine war, which required the following: Restructuring the Jordanian Armed Forces / Arab Army during the first armistice, especially since Britain withdrew its officers from the Arab Army. On June 14, 1948, the 5th Battalion was formed in the Arab Army. Yitzhak Rabin states: (Some Jews were able to buy B.17 bombers from the United States and smuggle them to Israel) Yitzhak Rabin's Notebook, p. 47 See Glubb's letter to Fawzi Al-Mulki, Jordanian Minister of Defense No. ALG/12, dated 5/12/1968, requesting money from the Jordanian government to buy weapons and equipment for the Arab Army, because the British government agreed in August to pay (200) thousand pounds until the end of the year, and this amount is insufficient due to the increase in the number of Jordanians. He is requesting a monthly payment of (300) thousand pounds, which will be sufficient for the following two months. Then he adds "Your Excellency, could you write telegram the British government requesting that this money be allocated for the following two months." (documents of war operations in the General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces) During the armistice, some battalions swapped positions, and instead of the direct path held by the Ramat Rachel colony, a road allowing for the passage of cars between Jerusalem and Bethlehem was built. On June 23, the soldiers came in Lodd and Ramla with the intention of stationing themselves in the two cities and strengthening the militants and people's defenders. This was due to the requests for help that the people of the two cities sent to King Abdullah and the Jordanian government, especially since the Jews began tightening the siege and attacking them. Second round 9/Jul - 15/Oct /1948 The United Nations appointed Bernadotte as a peace mediator in Palestine during the first armistice, and he believed that the armistice between Arabs and Jews would turn into a permanent armistice that would eventually lead to a peace treaty since his arrival in Palestine His plan was for the Jews to have the entire Galilee and the Arabs to have the entire Negev, while Jerusalem would be administered by the United Nations, the Haifa port and Lod airport would be considered free zones, and the Arab part of Palestine would be administered by Jordan's Hashemite Kingdom. . As the end of the truce approached on July 9, the Jews had gathered their forces and came with military equipment and fighters from Europe, and the two sides rejected this plan, preparing for a conflict. They also devised intricate military plans and altered their combative theory such that their strategies were mostly based on the attack initiative. The Arabs attempted to arm their soldiers, but the Western countries, led by the United Kingdom, rejected them on the basis of weak pretexts. Furthermore, politicians were willing to reach an agreement with the Jews. As a result, the balance of power shifted in favor of the Jews, and Arab forces' plans shifted from assault to defense, and this was reflected negatively on the conduct of military operations in Palestine, the Palestinian cause, and the Arab system as a whole. The fall of Lod and Ramla. The Jews set their plans for the occupation (Lod, Ramla, Latrun, Ramallah), and preparations for them began before the end of the first truce, that is, on July 9, 1948. Yitzhak Rabin states: (Because we were sure that the war would resume on the Arabs' initiative during the next two days, and there was no need to leave the initiative in their hands. I feel that equipping ourselves with new weaponry gave us confidence and influenced the timing of the action). Menachem Begin states, "We set strategic goals before us at the end of January 1948, in the meeting of the Irgun's high command, in which the planning team participated: Jerusalem, Jaffa, Lydda, Ramla, and the Triangle." The (Harel) and (Jiftach) brigades, the Eighth Brigade led by (Yitzhak Sadeh), the (Kirati) Brigade, and several battalions of the (Iskander) Brigade made up the force that would carry out this operation, which was led by Yigal Allon. Yitzhak Rabin is his assistant, and the operation was called Dani. The cities of Lydda and Ramla are among Palestine's largest and most populated, with populations ranging from one thousand to seventy thousand before May 15, owing to a significant influx of Palestinian Arabs. The strategic importance of these two cities cannot be overstated. Lod International Airport serves as a hub for air travel between Palestine and the rest of the globe. The Sarfand Military Camp, the largest British camp in Palestine, was given up to the Jews before May 15, the end of their mandate over Palestine, as well as the Lydda railway station, which is the junction of the lines and Palestine's largest railway station. In addition, they control a wide corridor linking Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In this situation, they are very vital to the Jews and to the state they plan to establish on Palestinian land. Since both cities control the lines of communication and transportation inside and outside, and an outpost to protect Tel Aviv, and an important road to reach Jerusalem. Not only that, the one who controls them can detect the avoidance of the Egyptian forces in southern Palestine and the avoidance of the Iraqi forces in the center of Palestine. Ben-Gurion states in his diary on June 24, 1948: (The forces of Lebanon, Syria, and Transjordan must be crushed, and we have to stand firm in the Negeb, and our general plan for this week is to liberate Jerusalem and the surrounding area first. Because it is logical to imagine that the Arab Army will hastily send reinforcements to Jerusalem. The battle for Jerusalem is morally and politically vital and to some extent militarily vital. With the arrival of the guns (new shipments of guns), (Al Ramla and Lod) must be destroyed, and we are preparing to strike Jenin, and then advance towards the Jordan Valley. It will end, and after, Syria will fall. And if Egypt dares to fight, we must strike Port Said, Alexandria and even Cairo) (41). Menachem Begin states: (If we had been able to seize Ramla, we would have been able to defeat the Arabs on the military front, and the strategic situation would have changed fundamentally, as it would have had no effect on Jerusalem or the Old City, and with the fall of Ramla the fate of Lod would be decided. There are many questions about the reasons for the fall of Lydda and Ramla. Historian Suleiman Musa says: (It's clear to us from what Gen. Glubb narrated about those events, that he was aware that the start of fighting meant that the two cities fell into the hands of the enemy. There were not any Jordanian or non-Jordanian forces that could defend the two cities successfully. Only the 5th Company and the militant forces were among them. As for Ahmed Al-Tal, he states that Glubb issued his orders (to the most powerful battalion in the Arab Army to speed up the move to the Tubas area to monitor the gatherings of Jews, and it is strange that Glubb Pasha chose the 1st battalion stationed in the area of Lod and Ramla to protect the civilians from any Jewish aggression ... So the 1st battalion was moved from the area of Lod and Ramla, where it camped in (Bit Naba La) to the Tubas area on the evening of Thursday, July 8, 1948, that is, one night before the outbreak of the fighting). By doing so, he freed the area of Lod and Ramla from the only force on which he relied in repelling any Jewish attack. Only the Palestinian and Arab militants and an infantry company of the Arab Army remained in the city. As for Saleh al-Shara, he states: (On the morning of July 11, 1948, the day of the movement of the 1st battalion from Birzeit to Damia in the Jordan Valley towards al-Adsiya, the Jews attacked the cities of Lod and Ramla. The deputy commander ( Idris Sultan) was a Military Governor over the two cities, and chief (Adeeb al-Qasim) ) Commander of the 5th Infantry Company from the garrison companies guarding the two cities. In the early morning, the Jewish forces advanced to the airport of Lod, and occupied it without resistance because the group of an infantry company which was guarding it withdrew before the attack began. Another group was in the city of Ramla and also withdrew, due to the largeness of the attacking forces, and the impossibility of resistance in this situation... Then this company gathered in the location of the main police station between the two cities, and its position became defensive in front of a hostile force which was believed to be the size of two brigades, which is more than twenty times the size of this company) Regarding the heroism of this Jordanian force, Dayan, who was leading the 89th Commando Battalion, says: (The battalion continued its way towards Ramla until the police station located between Lod and Ramla, which was defended by a force from the Arab Legion, which looked like a fortress from the outside. The second company and the army cars faced off. Heavy shooting from the upper floor, especially the machine guns focused on the roof of the building, and the Jordanian soldiers threw a grenade at a semi-tracked vehicle and it exploded inside, wounding all its members... The soldiers were directly hit... The situation started to raise fears and concern appeared on the faces battalion's soldiers) The Jordanian company was then given orders to retreat after they ran out of equipment, and they struggled to reach Ramallah with their own guns. About the business's retreat from the police station, Sayed Ali Al-Adros states, "This daring and tough step was accomplished without losing a single man from the company or even a single gun." It is a unique example or outstanding combat that exemplifies the discipline and good morale that all armed Arab Army units must maintain. (5). Ali Abu Nuwar states: (On the morning of July 9, 1948, a Jewish force consisting of two brigades moved, the first came from the north of the two cities, and The second brigade advanced from their south The two brigades began the main attack on the cities of Lod and Ramla on July 10, 1948, and in these two cities were (200) Palestinian and Jordanian fighters, and the 5th Infantry Company, led by chief (Adeeb Al-Qasim), and the fighters were led by (Kadhim Badawi and Sheikh Fadhil Al-Shahwan (56). For the majority of the day, these small forces fought against the advancing Jewish forces and were able to prevent the takeover of the two cities. Except for the police station in and around which the Arab Army forces and militants' forces assembled, the Jews were eventually able to occupy them. Then Ali Abu Nawar continues, "On the 11th and 12th of July, The Jews occupied Deir Tarif, Beit Nabala, Al-Hadith, Ben Shams, Gemzo, Annaba, Pervilia, Salbit, and Ajjul) after the martyr Abdullah Falah's company was ordered to retreat from Deir Tarif. They are situated east and southeast of Ramla and Lod. Thus, the road between (Beit Sira) and Bab Al-Wad, which is the third brigade's transportation route with its battalions, became threatened with cutting. And a battle took place in Deir Tarif. According to Dayan, a fierce combat took place between Jewish commando troops and Arab Army forces. Those who were able to retake the top (Deir Tarif) from the Jews, with Dayan's men losing a total of (9) dead and (17) injured (we carried them all and just left one broken jeep behind) (19). Habis al-Majali, commander of the 4th battalion, and Commander Akash Al-Zaben, commander of the 2nd battalion, had no idea what the British headquarters was planning. When (Ashton) wanted to address the members of the brigade command about the content of his plan and before he uttered the first sentence until the soldiers attacked him and drew their weapons in his face, he got into his car and ran away to the division leadership in Ramallah (). After Ashton escaped, Ali Abu Nawar called the commander (Habes Al-Majali), the commander (Mahmoud Al-Rousan), the staff of the Habis Al-Majali war, and the commander (Akash Al-Zaben) and explained to them what happened. The answer was: We die in Bab Al-Wad and do not withdraw a meter. The Battle of Latrun and Bab Al-Wad (the battles of Al-Burj, Qula, and Kharab Al-Lahham) July 9-18, 1948. The first stage of Operation Dani was to occupy (Lod and Ramla), while the second portion was to continue the occupation of Latrun. When Yigal Allon had completed his control of Lod and Ramla, he began a second-phase attack with five brigades, the main goal of which was to encircle Latrun from the north by taking the town of Latrun (Beit Nuba and Beit Sira). He closes the road, isolating Latrun from Ramallah, and reopening the route between Ramallah and Nablus as a result. The Jewish army marched from Lod through Jamzo on July 15, 1948. Then they continued their march, attacking and occupying (Al-Burj) and (Bir Ma'in) on July 16, 1948. However, the Arab Army mounted a vigorous counterattack in the afternoon of the same day, and the Jordanian soldiers managed to eject the Jewish forces after a difficult battle ( Al-Burj). The Arab Army's forces then proceeded to engage the Jewish forces, forcing them to retreat from (Qula), away from the route that crosses (Beit Sira), which was under the elite Jordanian forces. Under the direction of Chief Habis al-Majali and Akash Al-Zaben, Jordanian forces stationed in Latrun and Bab Al-Wad fought valiantly and courageously. And the Arab Army successfully foiled the Jewish operation (Dani), which planned to seize Lod and Ramla before moving on to Latrun and Ramallah. It won the first half but lost the second, and the Arab Army, led by Jordanian officers, won some remarkable victories. Jordanian armored vehicles took part in the attack, which was led by (Hamdan Al-Balawi), who led his soldiers gradually towards (the tower). His armed automobile was attacked and entirely wrecked, and he was injured, but he fought until he was martyred, with a hundred shrapnel extracted from his body. About this hero, Haim Herzog says: (The Arab Legion carried out its fiercest counterattacks throughout the war. Those battles recorded many stories of heroism, one of which was the story of a group of armored vehicles led by a young Bedouin fighting in the village of Al-Burj. The young man is fighting until his car is hopelessly wrecked, and in the hospital they extracted more than a hundred metal objects from his body. One of the English officers reflects on the combat (Al-Burj) by saying, "I have not witnessed more calm, more stable, and determined march from the starting line to the finish, more stable than the Arab armed forces." Despite the tremendous fire, its intensity and violence, fires that were more ferocious than those seen in European attacks in World War II, nevertheless, the fighters of the Jordanian Arab Army were steadfast and expelled the Jews from (Al-Burj). After they killed (87) Israeli soldiers and wounded (74), the martyrs of the Arab Army were (4) and (5) soldiers were wounded, and the prisoners were (170) Jewish prisoners. The Jewish brigade's major effort (Hareel) was focused towards the heights of Latrun, which were controlled by one of the Jordanian battalions, while the first, second, and fourth battalions were stationed across Latrun. As a result of a counterattack by Arab Army units in (Al-Burj and Beit Sira), the forces of (Hareel) were severely pressed (and the Israeli attempt to seize Latrun failed According to Haim Her-Zouq, (Yigal Allon opted to attack Latrun from the front, and Harel's forces occupied the heights above (Beit Nuba), while Yeftah forces attacked from the west, reinforced by the Eighth Armored Brigade. The backup forces, which had taken serious losses due to Jordanian anti-tank artillery deployed on the roof of the Latrun police unit, withdrew due to a communication error, and the infantry did not hold. This was the final Israeli effort to take Latrun, which remained a roadblock to Jerusalem for the next nineteen years until it fell during the Six-Day War). Yitzhak Rabin says: (However, the Jordanian army mounted a counter-offensive and managed to expel the forces of the (Yeftah) Brigade, incurring serious losses and declaring 44 soldiers missing.) The second phase of Operation Danny was a complete failure, as two Arab Army companies were able to stop five Jewish combat brigades, including the commando special forces, from completing their mission. According to Mahmoud Al-Rousan, the Jewish dead numbered (200) and a considerable number of people were wounded. In terms of the Arab Army's losses, the martyrs were nine, 42 wounded, and eight missing. According to First Lieutenant Abdullah Al- Ayed's mentions in his report that he left his 5th battalion on a patrol on July 18, 1948, in the Latrun area, when he came face to face with the Jewish enemy in a ferocious combat at the village of Latrun (Khrab al-Lahham). This patrol was successful in killing the Jews, leaving 32 dead and a number of wounded, and then returning to their positions without any of their members being injured. The second phase of Operation Danny was a complete failure, as two Arab Army companies were able to stop five Jewish combat brigades, including the commando special forces, from completing their mission. Their homeland, their nation, and the appreciation of their supreme commander, King Abdullah I, who, on the second day of the battle, July 19, sent a telegram to the officers and members of the First, Second and Fourth Battalions saying:'' I learned in detail about your fight yesterday and the valor, courage and mastery of the art of war with our satisfaction and God’s success and by good training, so you repelled the massive forces that bombarded you for fourteen hours without interruption with attacks and purification. I am proud of your bravery, and my country shares this pride with me. The Second Armistice The Jews took advantage of the second ceasefire, which began on July 18, 1948, to relax, reorganize, and prepare. However, on July 18, 1948, at midday, a mechanized force from Qubeibeh proceeded down the road towards Latrun in a final and desperate attempt, but the Arab Army repelled the attack after destroying two tanks and damaging the third, and this was their final attempt (70). Arab armies were unable to procure the necessary weaponry, and their armament did not significantly expand, resulting in an increase in Jewish strength and a shift in the balance of power in their favor. (Despite this loss, the ten-day warfare within the scope of Operation Danny tremendously enhanced the position of the Israeli forces, Ramla and Lydda (with its international airport in Israeli hands, and the direct threat away from Tel Aviv) (72), and in October, After receiving military and human supplies from European countries and the United States of America, including planes, tanks, battleships, and other military missions, the Jews had (80) thousand fighters in October. The second armistice provided an opportunity for Jews to gather as much weapons and war materiel as possible, as quickly as possible. In this period, comparing Arab and Jewish troops reveals the degree of the Jews' advantage in terms of the quantity of forces, armaments, and types of weapons. Furthermore, the Jews were the most capable of propaganda in the various media, portraying to the world that the Jews, with their tiny and modest troops, are battling a great number of Arabs with large forces. . Since the declaration of the partition in 1948, the Arabs have not prepared for war in the same way that the Jews have, and Britain has aided the Jews' mission in Palestine by failing to send sufficient armaments to the Arab Army, rather than sowing uncertainty among the Arabs themselves. Al-Quds - During the second armistice and even the permanent armistice. “Despite British constraints, half a million Jordanians led by King Abdullah honored themselves on the battlefield with the least claim and speech,” Ali Abu Nuwar said. It was not defeated in battle, and we conquered the enemy in a way that no one else had done before." The war's results, which we suffered the brunt of, show that, despite our small population, limited resources, and lack of Arab support, we were able to protect what others had failed to preserve in terms of land and sanctuaries by fighting." The Arab Army's warriors battled bravely and valiantly, making unimaginable sacrifices, and inflicting enormous losses on the aggressor's Jewish adversary every time. The Jewish strategy (Dani) for controlling Latrun and Bab Al-Wad all the way to Jerusalem failed, and the second armistice was signed. Meanwhile, Count Bernadotte, the Confessed Nations' mediator, was trying to get his recommendations approved, which included the following: a. Upper Galilee will be taken by The Jews in exchange for giving up the Negev region in southern Palestine. B. Both Ramla and Lod shall be returned to the Arabs. C. City of Jerusalem, as well as the Lydda International Airport, will be placed under UN supervision On September 17, when the Jews rejected Bernadotte's suggestions in the Security Council, a force from the Stern gang ambushed and killed him while he was on his way to Jerusalem. The international response to Bernadotte's assassination by the Jewish state was tumultuous. With his death, the focus of his report shifted from recommendations to recommendations (political wills). Nonetheless, the Jews defied the international community and launched a military operation in Egypt, dubbed (yoav) and directed by (Bigal Allon), with the goal of opening a corridor to the Negev, cutting Egyptian transit lines on the coast and the Beersheba-Hebron-Jerusalem road. , as well as isolating Egyptian forces in the area They justified the action by claiming that the Egyptians were steadfastly refusing to let Israeli convoys move freely through the Negev. • On October 3, 1948, (Loeb) wrote to (Pyman): (I am attempting to persuade Jordan to take over the majority of Palestine because it has a Mediterranean port... Another issue in Haifa is the Iraqi Army, which is expected to number 20,000 in both Palestine and Jordan, and I'm not sure what the Jordanian government's position is, and I know they don't know the facts, but the situation could change at any time... and if the Arab-Jewish war ends, we'll withdraw our forces from Palestine and hand them over to the Palestinians on a silver platter (the Mufti)... I do not believe that the armed force (the current Arab Army, with (6389) soldiers plus (2000) reserves, the mobilized force is (8389) individuals, and in this case we have (12,000) personnel, including the police, is sufficient when it is surrounded by such problems... Jordan will collapse if it is left alone, surrounded by hostile states such as Saudi Arabia, Syria, the Jews, and the Mufti. If Britain wants to keep Jordan alive and use it as a strategic base, it must strongly assist it....) Pyman's club book, No. ALG/31, dated 1968 3/10/ (documents of war operations in the General Command of the Urdu Armed Forces.) As a result, the Israeli military operations became justified, and the Egyptians' misjudgment of the difficult situation in which Israel found itself after Bernadotte's assassination paved the way for the Israeli military operations, which eventually led to the Egyptian army's displacement and defeat. According to military analyst Sayed Ali Al-Adros, (the Egyptian defeat was primarily due to weak and substandard military leadership.) When confronted with the good and swift Israeli soldiers, establishing Egyptian defense lines eventually leads to failure. The orders were disregarded and incorrect.) He says of the officer besieged in Fallujah, Gamal Abdel Nasser: (He fooled us and pulled us into a conflict that we were not prepared for.) My thoughts will rapidly move across the battlefield to Egypt's borders whenever I reach this level of imagination. There's my country and then there's my country... It's the latest in a long line of repercussions. Most Arab leaders believed that the UN Security Council would do justice to the Arabs and the Palestinian cause by working to find a reasonable settlement that would force the Jews to accept partition and return the lands they had occupied to the Arabs, keep the Negev Arab, and return the Palestinian refugees to their homes when the second armistice began on the evening of July 18, 1948. And that the solution would be imposed by default by the Security Council. Indeed, the Arabs were in an unpleasant position; they lacked a clear plan and strategy for Palestine, and their forces' commanders were numerous. While the Jews had a defined plan, a clear strategy, and a single cohesive leadership, the two groups were vastly different. The Arab nation did not put out all its forces, nor did it throw all its weight into the war field in Palestine, They were taken aback by what had occurred in Palestine. The firing did not halt on the lines of contact between the Jews and the Arab forces during the armistice. On both sides, there were sniping events, as well as artillery and machine gun firing. International observers worked in Jerusalem on July 21, 1948, to arrange a meeting between Jordanians and Jews, and Jordanian military delegation was headed by Commander Abdullah Al-Tal, and the Jewish military delegation was headed by (Shaltnel). At this meeting, international observer signed maps of the armistice lines to illustrate the locations of the two parties, as well as the no-land man's dividing them. Jews, who were known for breaking contracts, launched multiple attacks against the Arab Army in Jerusalem. The Jewish adversary launched a focused attack on the Sheikh Jarrah and Ras Al-Masharef (Skowes) neighborhoods, where the Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital are located, two days before the ceasefire began, and opened the way with a powerful artillery barrage. Their goal was to reach the streams of Ain Fara, which supply water to Old Jerusalem, but the 3rd Battalion repelled the attack and suffered terrible losses. The Jews then returned in the evening of August 17, 1948, by attacking Jerusalem's southern neighborhoods, with a bombardment line stretching from Nabi Daoud to Sur Baher , including (Silwan, Al-Thawri, Jabal Al-Mukabber, and the positions of the Egyptian forces). The offensive was focused on Jabal al-Mukabber, therefore they conquered the entire mountain, as well as the positions of Jordanian and Egyptian forces, the Government House, and the Arab College, before daybreak on August 17, 1948 on the day the armistice came into effect. The 6th Battalion, led by Abdullah Al-Tal, launched a counter-offensive at four a.m. on the same day, collaborating with Egyptian forces and sacred jihad warriors. In the Government House, Jordanian soldiers captured (12) Jewish soldiers, while the remainder fled. On the morning of the Jewish attack, this combat lasted four hours and concluded at eight o'clock. According to Abdullah Al-Tal, the enemy's losses in this short and violent encounter were more than (50) dead and more than (100) wounded. The martyrdom of (2) two Arab Army soldiers and three (3) Egyptian soldiers, as well as (5) terrorists, were among the Arab side's losses. This battle prompted General (Reilly), the chief international observer, to convene a meeting on August 22 1948 with Abdullah Al-Tal on behalf of Jordanian forces, Ahmed Abdel Aziz on behalf of Egyptian forces, Tariq al-Afriqi on behalf of Palestinian militant forces, and Moshe Dayan on behalf of Jewish forces, and after a discussion for two days Jews agreed to leave the areas surrounding the Arab College, and the area was placed under the international supervision. This area includes: the Government House, the Arab College, and the Agricultural School. A total cease-fire was also agreed upon, as well as the military's withdrawal from the area and the demolition of fortifications. The requisite maps to define the locations of the demilitarized zone were made up and signed by the officers of the two teams on September 26, 1948. All of this was done with Jordanian and Egyptian official approval, and on October 30, 1948, Abdullah Al-Tal and Moshe Dayan signed an agreement in Jerusalem for a comprehensive and effective cease-fire. The Arab Army agreed to let a Jewish convoy to cross the Arabic lines weekly to Jabal Mukaber) and Hadassah Hospital to the east of Jerusalem to secure supplies and communicate with the Jews who were there. On January 5, 1949, the discussions between Abdullah Al-Tal and Moshe Dayan resumed, with Jordanian suggestions concentrating on establishing Jordan- Naqab - Egypt corridor. In terms of Jerusalem, Jordan demanded the entire Old City, as well as the Qatmoul neighborhood and the German Quarter, in order to reclaim the Jewish Quarter and the outskirts of (Jewish Jerusalem's Talpiot) The Jews rejected Jordan's demands and reported the situation to (Ben Gurion), demanding that the talks be halted. Ben-Gurion, however, encouraged them to continue, saying: (We need peace, perhaps more than the Jordanians). As a result, on January 14, 1949, the talks resumed, and on January 16, 1949, they were moved from Jerusalem to the Southern Shuna. This occurred during talks between Egypt and Israel in Rhodes to negotiate the Permanent Armistice Agreement. Then, on January 30, 1949, another conference was held, but these conversations did not produce any meaningful results due to the large distance between the two parties' points of view. Permanent armistice talks and the triangle issue The circumstances of the war on Palestinian land, as well as international conspiracies surrounding it and the great powers' complicity with the Jews, forced Egypt to agree to hold armistice talks on the island of Rhodes under UN supervision, which ended on February 24, 1949, with a permanent armistice between Egypt and Israel. Other Arab countries followed suit, led by Lebanon, which signed an armistice deal with Israel on March 23, 1949, Jordan on April 3, 1949, and Syria on July 20, 1949. Iraq refused to sign the armistice with Israel since the two countries shared no common border, and the Jordanian delegation represented Iraq at the Rhodes talks in the region where Iraqi forces were stationed on the Jordanian front. The Jews opposed to Jordanian forces occupying the locations that Iraqi forces would be vacating, and saw this as a breach of the ceasefire. On March 18, 1949, Moshe Dayan met with Abdullah Al-Tal in Jerusalem to discuss the problem. Dayan states: (I told Al-Tal that we want the entrance to Wadi Ara south of Haifa, the hills controlling this valley, and the narrow coastal plain, where we were subjected to distractions by the Iraqi forces. Al-Tal replied that such a concession is impossible, and the Jordanian forces cannot retreat behind the lines in which the Iraqi forces are stationed). In this regard, it was necessary to resume the fighting between the two parties because both insisted on their opinion and because Nablus and the surrounding areas are in danger in the face of Jewish demands. However, on March 22, 1949, outside the Mandelbaum Gate in Jerusalem, the two parties met once more. Minister of Justice Falah Al-Maddah, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hussein Siraj, and Abdullah Al-Tal represented Jordan at this meeting. Moshe Dayan, Eitan, Bigal Yadin, the chief of the Military Operations Department, and Harkawi represented the Jewish side. And there was a long debate during which each person insisted on his or her point of view and requests.The next day, the meeting was resumed, and the two delegations met with King Abdullah. The Acting Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Education (Education), the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a British officer representing the Arab Army, and the commander of Jordan's security forces were among the Jordanian members. In compensation for their concessions, the Jordanians requested a slew of demands. The talks came to a close at 2 a.m. with the signing of the maps. At eleven o'clock at night, the King withdrew. The agreement stated that: a. Israel accepts the Jordanian army as a replacement for the Iraqi army b. The border between the two sides will be as illustrated on the maps (the new line granted Israel (400 square kilometers) of territory with 16 villages. c. Israel will make up for Jordan in other ways. On this subject, Suleiman Musa states: (Jordan [chosen the lesser of two evils and his choice was not of his consent, but in fact was coercion. According to Sadiq al-Shara (The withdrawal of the Iraqi army from the front had a very dangerous impact on the Jordanian front, resulting in the loss of large areas of Arab lands and villages in the Triangle area that Jews managed to seize under pressure and threat of resuming fight against Jordan, and because it could not withstand such an attack alone after the withdrawal of the Iraqi army.The final agreement was signed on March 31, 1949, and the Council of Ministers unanimously approved it, with Israel receiving a strip of land ranging in width from two to three kilometers on a front 180-kilometer length. As compensation for the Triangle lands, the agreement stated that the military line in the Hebron-Dead Sea area be amended in favor of Jordan, with Triangle residents remaining in their settlements.On April 3, 1949, the agreement was transferred to Rhodes and signed in the presence of the international mediator (Ralph Bunche). According to Dayan, the maps of the Jordanian-Israeli armistice agreement were signed by John Paget Club, the Arab Army's commander, and Moshe Dayan, the Israeli side's leader. Negotiations took place between Dayan and Abdullah Al-Tal, which resulted in Jordan accepting the release of the 702 Jewish prisoners, including (89) girls. In return, the Jews released about five thousand Palestinian civilians who were arrested during their seizure of Palestinian towns and villages on the pretext that they were among the militants. The Jews also released four prisoners from the Jordanian Arab Army. As for Dayan, he says that the number of prisoners in the Arab Army is (12) soldiers, and as for the prisoners of the Jews, they are (670) individuals, including (85) women