INDEPENDENCE DAY -  3 (1951)

ites of heroic battles in Israel’s War of Independence feature on these stamps.

METZUDAT YESHA

The fortress Metzudat Yesha, in easter Upper Galilee, is built on the hightest point between Rosh Pinah and Metullah and was named originally named Nebi Yousha ("the Prophet Joshua"), after the nearby Arab village where, according to Arab tradition, Joshua was buried. The towering fortress commands a view over the entire Huleh Valley and the surrounding hills, named "Mountains of Naphtali," at the tribe that settled in the area in biblical times.

Standing on an important crossroads, the fortress was built in 1938 for the British police, during the Arab disturbances. When the British evacuated the structure, they enabled Arab troops to occupy it. Some time later, on May 17, 1948, Israel soldiers stormed this important strategic stronghold.

THE CASTEL

At the beginning of the War of Independence, the Arabs had almost complete command of the road from the coastal plain to Jerusalem. Mount Castel (799 meters above sea level) served as a strongpoint for attacks on Jewish motor traffic and the Jewish settlements in the area. Haganah forces climbed the Castel and after heavy fighting, which lasted from April 3 to April 8, 1948, they occupied this important position. The fall of the Castel enabled Jewish forces to take the surrounding villages and to clear the road to Jerusalem. After a few days, the first convoy to Jerusalem went through, composed of 200 trucks bringing food to the city’s courageous defenders.