Hill of Battle

All the information about the Hill of Battle—the Hill of Battle on which the famous battle took place in which all 35 Palmach fighters were killed on their way to Gush Etzion, which was under siege. You can read the story of the battle here: http://www.k-etzion.co.il/Index.asp?ArticleID=81&Categor yID=78&Page=1, and the debate about the myth of "the compassion for the old shepherd" or about "the two foragers," a myth that continues to feed the Israel Defense Forces' battle culture to this day; you can read about it in our thread—at least in my opinion, which I have already expressed—the incident did not occur at all. Because it is clearly not plausible to claim that the old man had time to return to the village and summon its residents, and they were already arriving at the place of the battle before the fighters had even reached their destination. But myths, like myths, derive their power from being myths, not necessarily from being reality. The photograph was taken from the lookout toward the Hill of Battle—a lookout located at the eastern end of the Machsom L'He (Latrun checkpoint), on the road ascending from the junction of Ela through the settlement Neve Michael, to Gush Etzion. Immediately at the end of the checkpoint, on the left-hand side of the road (for those coming from the Shfela), you will find the lookout plaza. The story of the battle appears in several books and sites, and in recent years night tours have been conducted that reenact the journey through the area, near the anniversary. The end of this battle is found in the famous story "Goral Ha-GRA" that was held by Rabbi of the Prisoners, Rabbi Aryeh Levin, zt"l, with the purpose of identifying their bodies when they were transferred from Gush Etzion to Mount Herzl, where they rest today. The story is described in detail in the book "Ish Tzaddik Hayah" ("He Was a Righteous Man") written by the writer Simcha Raz. If you want to go there and tour, here's a suggestion: http://www.boker.org.il/meida/negev/desert_biking/lh/lh.htm