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The Battle for Jerusalem occurred from December 1947 to 18 July 1948, when Jewish and Arab population of Mandatory Palestine and later Israeli and Jordanian armies fought for the control of the city. According to the Partition Plan of Palestine, the city was to be placed under international rule in a ''corpus separatum''. Fights nevertheless immediately broke in the city between Jewish and Arab militias with bombings and attacks coming from both sides. Starting in February 1948, Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni blockaded the road West of the city to prevent the supply of the Jewish population. This was broken first mid-April following Operation Nachshon and Operation Maccabee. On 14 May and the following days, Etzioni and Harel brigades supported by Irgun troops launched several operations aiming to take over the Arab side of the city. In the meantime, Arab Legion had deployed in the area dedicated to the Arab state refraining to enter the Corpus separatum but massively garrisoning Latrun to blockade the Jewish city once again. Israeli victories against the Arab militias in the city pushed Abdallah of Jordan to order the Arab Legion to intervene. It deployed in East Jerusalem, fought the Israelis and took the Jewish quarter of the Old City. The population was expelled and the fighters taken prisoners to Jordan. The Israeli forces launched three assaults on Latrun to free the road to the city but without success. Anyway, they could build an alternative road leading to this city before the truce imposed by UN on June 11, leaving the blockade. During the period called the First truce the Jewish city was supplied with food, ammunition, weapons and troops. Fights didn't resume during the remaining months of the 1948 War and the city was split between Israel and Jordan after the war, Israelis ruling West Jerusalem and Jordanians ruling East Jerusalem with the Old City. ==Overview== Following the outbreak of disturbances at the end of 1947 the road between Tel Aviv and Jewish Jerusalem became increasingly difficult for Jewish vehicles. Ambushes by Palestinian Arab irregulars became more frequent and more sophisticated. The intention of the besieging forces was to isolate the 100,000 Jewish residents of the city from the rest of the Jewish inhabitants of Palestine and, in the case of the Jordanian forces, to conquer East Jerusalem (including the Old City).〔〔Gold, 48-51.〕 Aside from the large Jewish population, Jerusalem held special importance to the Yishuv for "religious and nationalist" reasons.〔Morris, 197〕 In particular, the Arab forces tried to cut off the road to Jerusalem from the coastal plain, where the majority of the Jewish population resided. The Arabs blocked access to Jerusalem "at Latrun and Bab al-Wad," a narrow valley surrounded by Arab villages on hills on both sides.〔Morris, 218〕 The breaking of the siege on Jerusalem and the annexation of the captured areas to the Jewish state became primary goals for the Israelis in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.〔 In December 1947 the Jewish Agency set up the Jerusalem Emergency Committee which had begun stockpiling food and fuel.〔Joseph, page 26.〕 In January the Committee estimated 4,500 tons a month was needed. They were given 50,000 Palestine pounds credit with the Histadrut's wholesalers Hamashbir Hamerkazi.〔Joseph, page 80.〕 In January 1948 the number of trucks supplying Jewish Jerusalem had fallen to thirty. By March the daily average number of lorries reaching Jerusalem was six. By the end of March it was clear that food supplies for civilians in Jewish Jerusalem would run out.〔Joseph, page 153: 20 April 4 weeks supplies. Levin, page 22: beginning of March "only three weeks".〕 On 1 April ''The Times'' estimated that the Jewish population of Jerusalem require a minimum of 50 lorry loads per week. On 3 April the Scotsman newspaper reported that a spokesman at a meeting of Arab military leaders in Damascus had announced that Jerusalem would be "strangled" by a blockade.〔Joseph, page 98.〕 One estimate of the size of the opposing forces at the beginning of March gives the Arabs 5,300 men in Jerusalem and surrounding district, including 300 Iraqi irregulars and 60 Yugoslav Moslems. David Shaltiel commanded the Etzioni Brigade of 1,200 with another 1,200 second line troops. In addition there was a Jewish Home Guard of 2,500 and 500 members of the dissident organisations, Irgun and Lehi.〔Kimche, Jon and David (1960) ''A Clash of Destinies. The Arab-Jewish War and the Founding of the State of Israel.'' Frederick A. Praeger. Library of Congress number 60-6996. Pages 132, 133. Quoting a report by Shaltiel to Haganah HQ.〕 In early April the Haganah were ordered to launch an offensive to clear the strategic hill top villages along the last few miles of the road to Jerusalem. At the same time a series of massive armoured convoys, involving hundreds of vehicles, forced their way through.〔See Morris, Chapter 5, "The Pan-Arab Invasion, 15 May—11 June 1948," pp. 180-263〕〔〔Levenberg, Haim (1993). Military Preparations of the Arab Community in Palestine: 1945–1948. London: Routledge., p187〕 The fighting led to the evacuation of the Jewish villages of Neve Yaakov, Atarot, Kalya and Beit HaArava, and the expulsion of the Jewish inhabitants of the Old City of Jerusalem.〔〔 Before the war, the Jews of the Old City had friendly relations with their Arab neighbors and were sorry to have to leave.〔Morris, 217〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle for Jerusalem (1948)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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