Defending Bet Qeshet
On the morning of 16.3.48 a squad commanded by Ben-Zvi departed for a reconnaissance of the area. When it reached Giv'at Hashav it was attacked by an Arab ambush, losing seven squad members in the course of the ensuing 20 minute battle.
The Palmach's first kibbutz, located next to Mount Tabor in the Lower Galilee, was called Bet Qeshet, because from the kibbutz yard the mountain looked like a drawn bow (Qeshet). The kibbutz members coveted the hill which they called Giv'at Hashahav, which was close to the village of the 'Zevichim' tribe, and on which they dreamed of setting up their permanent home. Every day groups of young men would go from the kibbutz to the hill to prepare the territory for the setting up of the permanent position.
On the morning of 16.3.48 a squad commanded by Ben-Zvi departed for a reconnaissance of the area. When it reached Giv'at Hashahav it was attacked by an Arab ambush, losing seven squad members in the course of the ensuing 20 minute battle.
When the shots were heard from the kibbutz, a rescue force from the mobile unit of the Barak Battalion (from the Golani Brigade) got organized and left for the direction of the battle hill. Due to swamp-like mud - and subsequently rain as well – it had difficulty in advancing, and when it reached the hill the Arabs opened fire on it, forcing it to take up positions on another of the hills. There they met Ben-Zvi who related how many Arabs had surprised and surrounded them.
All day long, reinforcements from the Barak'Battalion and the Emek Hayarden Field Combat Corps streamed to Bet Qeshet. On the other hand, they saw many Arabs arriving from the entire surrounding area and assembling at the Zevichim village.
Towards nightfall, a militia the size of a company left for Giv'at Hashahav, and was also attacked en route. During the course of its attempts to reach the hill, it, too, was attacked, so that three more fighters were killed and seven injured. After negotiations with the Arabs through the mediation of the regional authorities the fighter's bodies were returned and buried in a communal grave.
On 6.5.48 an attack was launched on the tent encampment of the Zevichim tribe, which had participated in the killing of the seven and in numerous other attacks in the region. The attacking force killed 60 Arabs and injured another 100, but a large Arab reinforcement arrived from the Ein Maahal village, surprising the Israeli force during its withdrawal. In the fighting that followed, 18 fighters were killed. Their bodies were brought to Bet Qeshet for burial.
On the morning of 16.3.48 a squad commanded by Ben-Zvi departed for a reconnaissance of the area. When it reached Giv'at Hashahav it was attacked by an Arab ambush, losing seven squad members in the course of the ensuing 20 minute battle.
When the shots were heard from the kibbutz, a rescue force from the mobile unit of the Barak Battalion (from the Golani Brigade) got organized and left for the direction of the battle hill. Due to swamp-like mud - and subsequently rain as well – it had difficulty in advancing, and when it reached the hill the Arabs opened fire on it, forcing it to take up positions on another of the hills. There they met Ben-Zvi who related how many Arabs had surprised and surrounded them.
All day long, reinforcements from the Barak'Battalion and the Emek Hayarden Field Combat Corps streamed to Bet Qeshet. On the other hand, they saw many Arabs arriving from the entire surrounding area and assembling at the Zevichim village.
Towards nightfall, a militia the size of a company left for Giv'at Hashahav, and was also attacked en route. During the course of its attempts to reach the hill, it, too, was attacked, so that three more fighters were killed and seven injured. After negotiations with the Arabs through the mediation of the regional authorities the fighter's bodies were returned and buried in a communal grave.
On 6.5.48 an attack was launched on the tent encampment of the Zevichim tribe, which had participated in the killing of the seven and in numerous other attacks in the region. The attacking force killed 60 Arabs and injured another 100, but a large Arab reinforcement arrived from the Ein Maahal village, surprising the Israeli force during its withdrawal. In the fighting that followed, 18 fighters were killed. Their bodies were brought to Bet Qeshet for burial.