The Campaign to Liberate Safad
The responsibility for conducting the campaign to liberate Safad was given to a force from the Yiftah Company. The campaign lasted several weeks.
Safad was a mixed city. At the beginning of the War of Independence the city was populated by 12,000 Arabs and 2,000 Jews who dwelt in their own neighborhood.
The British unexpectedly brought the date for their evacuation of the city forward to 16.4.48.
On the same day the Jewish Community Committee was convened to discuss the proposal of Brigadier Cohen, the commander of the British Army in the north, to evacuate women and children from the Jewish sector of the city. After a whole day of acrimonious debate, Cohen's proposal was rejected.
At approximately 15:00 hours the British started to leave the city and concomitantly handed over most of the more important strategic points to the Arabs: the roof of the fortress which gave a clear view over a considerable part of the city, the municipal police station which had a commanding view over the Jewish quarter, Shalva House, which controlled the northern entrance to the city, and the Mount Cana'an Police Station.
Battalion Aleph of the Third Company of the Palmach (under the command of Elad Peled) , which was stationed on Mount Cana'an, only realized that the British evacuation had started when it was already at its peak, and only then made plans made to take up posts.seize positions. At midnight a telegram was received from Ma'ori Yaffe (Commander of the Eastern Galilee) and Mulah Cohen (Commander of the Third Company) ordering Elad Peled to enter the Jewish Quarter with a Palmach unit in order to strengthen its defenses. The platoon, consisting of 35 officers and soldiers equipped with personal weapons and three machine guns, set out at 3:00 a.m. (17.4.48). The Jewish quarter was completely surrounded by Arab neighborhoods. The platoon moved as quickly as possible and, indeed, reached its destination at 5:15 a.m. before dawn. On arrival, it marched in formation though the alleys of the Quarter singing the anthem of the Palmach as loudly as possible in order to encourage the inhabitants of the Quarter and raise their spirits.
Within the Quarter, arrangements were started to withstand a prolonged siege. Elad Peled commanded the defense of Safad and immediately began to strengthen the fortifications. Great emphasis was also placed on maintaining high morale among the civilian population as there were some who were prepared to surrender. In the Quarter there were 90 armored corps soldiers (under the command of Yossi Fogel}, 205 from the local Civic Guard and 35 from the Palmach. The commander of the Palmach in the city was Meyer Miberg. The weapons they had at their disposal included 270 rifles, a few sub-machine guns, seven machines guns and 2" mortars. The supply of ammunition was severely limited.
The British unexpectedly brought the date for their evacuation of the city forward to 16.4.48.
On the same day the Jewish Community Committee was convened to discuss the proposal of Brigadier Cohen, the commander of the British Army in the north, to evacuate women and children from the Jewish sector of the city. After a whole day of acrimonious debate, Cohen's proposal was rejected.
At approximately 15:00 hours the British started to leave the city and concomitantly handed over most of the more important strategic points to the Arabs: the roof of the fortress which gave a clear view over a considerable part of the city, the municipal police station which had a commanding view over the Jewish quarter, Shalva House, which controlled the northern entrance to the city, and the Mount Cana'an Police Station.
Battalion Aleph of the Third Company of the Palmach (under the command of Elad Peled) , which was stationed on Mount Cana'an, only realized that the British evacuation had started when it was already at its peak, and only then made plans made to take up posts.seize positions. At midnight a telegram was received from Ma'ori Yaffe (Commander of the Eastern Galilee) and Mulah Cohen (Commander of the Third Company) ordering Elad Peled to enter the Jewish Quarter with a Palmach unit in order to strengthen its defenses. The platoon, consisting of 35 officers and soldiers equipped with personal weapons and three machine guns, set out at 3:00 a.m. (17.4.48). The Jewish quarter was completely surrounded by Arab neighborhoods. The platoon moved as quickly as possible and, indeed, reached its destination at 5:15 a.m. before dawn. On arrival, it marched in formation though the alleys of the Quarter singing the anthem of the Palmach as loudly as possible in order to encourage the inhabitants of the Quarter and raise their spirits.
Within the Quarter, arrangements were started to withstand a prolonged siege. Elad Peled commanded the defense of Safad and immediately began to strengthen the fortifications. Great emphasis was also placed on maintaining high morale among the civilian population as there were some who were prepared to surrender. In the Quarter there were 90 armored corps soldiers (under the command of Yossi Fogel}, 205 from the local Civic Guard and 35 from the Palmach. The commander of the Palmach in the city was Meyer Miberg. The weapons they had at their disposal included 270 rifles, a few sub-machine guns, seven machines guns and 2" mortars. The supply of ammunition was severely limited.