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= Fakih Usman =
Kyai Hajji Fakih Usman ( also Faqih Usman ; [ <unk> <unk> ] ; 2 March 1904 – 3 October 1968 ) was an Indonesian Islamic leader and politician with the Masyumi Party . He twice served as the Minister of Religious Affairs : under the Halim Cabinet in the State of the Republic of Indonesia in 1950 , and in the national government during the Wilopo Cabinet from 1952 to 1953 . In his early years Fakih was criticised by conservative Muslims for his involvement with the modernist Islamic organisation Muhammadiyah , though that group remembers him warmly .
Born to a merchant and his wife in Gresik , Dutch East Indies , Fakih studied with his father and at a series of pesantren ( Islamic boarding schools ) until the 1920s . In 1925 he became involved with the Muhammadiyah , rising quickly through the leadership until he became the head of the Surabaya branch in 1938 . He was also active in local politics . When a group of Islamic organisations formed the Indonesian Islamic Assembly in 1937 , Fakih became treasurer . He continued to be involved in politics and Islamic groups during the Japanese occupation and ensuing national revolution . While serving as minister of religious affairs , he oversaw educational and institutional reform , growing in prominence within the Muhammadiyah . He served as deputy chairman of the organisation under several different leaders before being chosen as its chairman in late 1968 , several days before his death .
= = Early life = =
Fakih was born in Gresik , East Java , Dutch East Indies , on 2 March 1904 . His father , Usman Iskandar , was a wood merchant , and his mother , a housewife , was the daughter of an ulama ( scholar of Islam ) . The couple , who were of modest means , had four other children , and the family 's lack of a noble background meant the children were ineligible to receive an education at Dutch @-@ run schools . Instead , Fakih studied Islam from a young age , receiving much of his instruction from his father . At the age of ten he began studying at a pesantren ( Islamic boarding school ) in Gresik , finishing four years later . In 1919 he continued his studies at several pesantren outside the city , including ones in rural Gresik and in nearby <unk> .
= = Work with the Muhammadiyah = =
Fakih 's father helped him become a trader , although Fakih continued to study independently . When the modernist Islamic organisation Muhammadiyah opened a branch in Gresik in 1922 , Fakih was one of the first to join . Extremely active in the group , he became the Gresik branch 's leader within three years , and under his leadership the group was formally recognised by the central Muhammadiyah administration . Through his work with the Muhammadiyah in Gresik , Fakih became better known . He later transferred to the branch in Surabaya , a much larger city where , in 1929 , he was chosen to sit on the city council . He also remained active in commerce , running a construction material trade and shipbuilding shop . During this period he served on the local chamber of commerce .
From 1932 to 1936 Fakih was a member of the Muhammadiyah 's regional council , serving concurrently as the editor of the organisation 's official magazine Bintang Islam and on the Legal Affairs Committee . As he became more active , Fakih began commuting regularly from Surabaya to Gresik , handling Muhammadiyah business in Surabaya and the wood company in Gresik ; this commute was done in Fakih 's personal car , a rare luxury at the time . Studying Dutch in his spare time , Fakih continued to improve his knowledge of Islam by studying the thoughts of Muhammad Abduh . However , conservative Muslims disapproved of Fakih 's work with Muhammadiyah , giving him the nickname <unk> <unk> <unk> ( " Dutchman with the black arse " ) , and often throwing stones at his home .
On 21 September 1937 , Muhammadiyah , the conservative <unk> Ulama ( NU ) , the merchants ' cooperative Sarekat Islam , and several other Islamic groups – which for the past decade had been feuding – united to form an umbrella group : the Indonesian Islamic Assembly ( <unk> Islam Ala Indonesia , or MIAI ) , based in Surabaya . Fakih served as treasurer . In 1938 he was made the head of the Surabaya branch of the Muhammadiyah , replacing Mas <unk> . Two years later he began working full @-@ time with the MIAI , having been selected as the head of its secretariat in mid @-@ September 1940 . To take this position , he resigned as head of the Surabaya branch of Muhammadiyah and as a city council member .
= = Masyumi and National Revolution = =
On 9 March 1942 Governor @-@ General Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer and head of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army General Hein ter Poorten capitulated to the Empire of Japan , which had invaded the Indies the month before . As a result , the Indies fell under Japanese control . The Japanese banned all forms of organisations , and the MIAI was disbanded in May . It was reformed on 5 September 1942 following a meeting of 30 ulamas in the Des Indes Hotel in Jakarta , and was recognised by the occupation government as the sole Islamic organisation in the country . At the end of 1943 , the organisation was renamed the Council of Indonesian Muslim Associations ( Partai Majelis <unk> <unk> Indonesia , or Masyumi ) . Fakih was made a member of the Japanese @-@ sponsored advisory board , or Syu Sangi In , for Surabaya . He held this position until the end of the occupation , concurrently serving on the Masyumi board .
After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the proclamation of Indonesian independence in August 1945 , the Japanese began withdrawing from the nascent republic . The Indonesian republican government , based in Jakarta and including Sukarno as president and Mohammad Hatta as vice president , began to take over infrastructure from the departing Japanese . By September 1945 , however , allied British and Dutch forces had begun to enter the archipelago , hoping to reestablish the status quo ante . The British initially focused on Java and Sumatra and attempted to avoid armed confrontations with the Republican forces ; the Dutch , meanwhile , spent the first months after the Japanese surrender reclaiming the eastern islands with help from Australia .
Fakih , who had begun making contacts within the republican government , participated in the Indonesian Islamic Conference ( <unk> Islam Indonesia ) in Yogyakarta from 7 to 8 November 1945 . As a result of these talks , Masyumi was made into a political party representing Islamic interests . Although Fakih returned to Gresik after the conference , he and his family soon evacuated to Malang due to the outbreak of a battle at Surabaya between Republican soldiers and British forces tasked with repatriating Dutch prisoners of war .
In Malang , Fakih worked with Masjkur and <unk> Arifin to start an armed resistance to fight in the revolution against the returning Europeans . He served as deputy chief in command of this resistance , which consisted of the Japanese @-@ trained Islamic units <unk> and Hizbullah . After the Dutch launched Operation Kraai in December 1948 , Fakih and his family escaped to Surakarta , where he again became active in Muhammadiyah . Fakih , serving as deputy chair under <unk> <unk> , frequently commuted between Surakarta and the organisation 's head office in Yogyakarta .
= = Minister of Religious Affairs = =
In late 1949 the Indonesian and Dutch governments held a conference lasting several months , which resulted in Dutch recognition of Indonesian sovereignty on 27 December 1949 . This led to the formation of the United States of Indonesia ( Republik Indonesia <unk> , or RIS ) , which consisted of sixteen member states . On 21 January 1950 Fakih replaced Masjkur as the Minister of Religious Affairs in the Halim Cabinet , representing the Republic of Indonesia ; at this point the republic consisted of Yogyakarta , Banten , and much of Sumatra . Working with the RIS Minister of Religious Affairs Wahid Hasyim , Fakih began instituting a standardised religious curriculum in the public schools and modernising education at religious schools . The two also worked to unite the ministries . On 17 August 1950 the RIS and its member states became a unified republic . Hasyim was kept on as minister of religious affairs , with Fakih appointed director of religious education .
Meanwhile , the different factions in Masyumi were in conflict over the path the party was taking ; the NU members thought Masyumi was becoming too political , abandoning its Islamic roots . When the Natsir Cabinet began to collapse , the Masyumi put forth Fakih as a potential Minister for Religious Affairs . This act was controversial because four of the five allocated slots for the party were already filled by non @-@ NU members , and ultimately the NU pulled out of Masyumi , effective 5 April 1952 . Fakih had been chosen with a majority of five votes , while the next leading candidate , Usman <unk> , received four .
Fakih was made the Minister of Religious Affairs in the Wilopo Cabinet and sworn in on 3 April 1952 , which led to him and his family moving to the capital at Jakarta . He began to work on reforming the ministry , including formalising its mission statement : to provide religious teachers , promote interfaith relations , and to establish the dates of religious holidays . He worked on internal structure , including formalising the ministry 's leadership hierarchy and the opening of the provincial and regional branches . The ministry also continued its promotion of religious education and was tasked with handling the numerous Indonesian pilgrims who went on the hajj . The Wilopo Cabinet collapsed on 30 July 1953 , following an immigration and land dispute in Medan . Fakih was replaced by Masjkur .
= = Later work = =
Fakih continued to work with the ministry and the Muhammadiyah , serving as the organisation 's First Deputy Chair under Ahmad <unk> Sutan Mansur . In 1956 he was one of three Muhammadiyah members who presented their concept of a truly Islamic society , one which emphasised social education . During this time he was more active with Masyumi , and after the 1955 Constituent Assembly election , Fakih was made a member of the Constitutional Assembly of Indonesia . This assembly , meant to reach an agreement for a new national constitution , failed to gain a consensus , and was disbanded by president Sukarno with his decree of 5 July 1959 . That year Fakih collaborated with Hamka , Joesoef <unk> Abdullah , and Ahmad Joesoef to launch the magazine Pandji <unk> . Sukarno later disbanded Masyumi on 17 August 1960 after leading Masyumi members , such as Mohammad Natsir and <unk> <unk> , were involved with the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia ; Fakih had been involved in the negotiations with the Revolutionary Government , working with Mohammad Roem .
The disbanding of Masyumi left Fakih with more time to focus on the Muhammadiyah , serving as the Second Deputy Chair under <unk> Anis . During a leadership course run by the organisation during Ramadhan of 1380 AH ( February / March 1961 ) , Fakih began promoting an institutional identity through his lecture " <unk> Muhammadiyah Itu " ( " What is Muhammadiyah ? " ) . This outlined the organisation as one based in dawah , focusing on real @-@ world issues , and willing to work with the government to ensure a prosperous future for Muslims . These concepts were later formulated through 1962 and established as an institutional identity , one which called for Muhammadiyah to work towards creating a truly Islamic society while opposing leftist politics . This , in turn , was followed by <unk> within the organisation to better adapt the new identity .
From 1962 until 1965 Fakih served as the First Deputy Chair of Muhammadiyah under Ahmad Badawi , providing guidance for young religious leaders . During the killings and power shift which followed the 30 September Movement coup attempt , Fakih and several Muhammadiyah members sent a letter requesting that Masyumi be allowed to reform ; this permission was not granted . For Badawi 's second term , Fakih served as an advisor to the chairman , often taking management responsibilities . He was selected as the organisation 's chairman at the 37th Muhammadiyah Congress in 1968 .
= = Death and legacy = =
On being chosen as chairman , Fakih began work to ensure there would be a successor , as his health was failing . On 2 October , at a joint meeting of the board at his home , he outlined his plans for his three @-@ year period of leadership ; Fakih also appointed <unk> and Abdul <unk> Fachruddin as temporary leaders while he went abroad for medical treatment . Fakih died on 3 October 1968 , only a few days after being selected , and was replaced by Fachruddin on the day of his death ; Fachruddin served as chairman for 24 years .
The street where Fakih lived as a child is now known as Fakih Usman Street . Within Muhammadiyah Fakih continues to be well respected . He is credited with the formulation of the " Muhammadiyah Personality " ( <unk> Muhammadiyah ) , Muhammadiyah 's institutional identity . Out of respect towards Fakih , the Muhammadiyah continues to record his period as chairman as lasting the full three @-@ year term . <unk> Syafruddin , a faculty member at the Jakarta Islamic State University , writes that Fakih was highly dedicated to education , noting that five of Fakih 's seven children eventually became doctors ; Syafruddin also writes that , owing to a lack of human resources , Fakih was limited in his reforms while Minister of Religious Affairs . Former Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad <unk> 'i <unk> described Fakih as the " tranquil , cleansing water " who served as a calming influence for Muhammadiyah when the organisation was in turmoil .
= Battles of Latrun ( 1948 ) =
The Battles of Latrun were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Jordanian Arab Legion on the outskirts of Latrun between 25 May and 18 July 1948 , during the 1948 Arab – Israeli War . Latrun takes its name from the monastery close to the junction of two major highways : Jerusalem to Jaffa / Tel Aviv and Gaza to Ramallah . During the British Mandate it became a Palestine Police base with a <unk> fort . The United Nations Resolution 181 placed this area within the proposed Arab state . In May 1948 , it was under the control of the Arab Legion . It commanded the only road linking the Yishuv @-@ controlled area of Jerusalem to Israel , giving Latrun strategic importance in the battle for Jerusalem .
Despite assaulting Latrun on five separate occasions Israel was ultimately unable to capture Latrun , and it remained under Jordanian control until the Six @-@ Day War . The battles were so decisive that the Israelis decided to construct a bypass surrounding Latrun so as to allow vehicular movement between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem , thus avoiding the main road . Regardless , during the Battle for Jerusalem , the Jewish population of Jerusalem could still be supplied by a new road , named the " Burma Road " , that bypassed Latrun and was suitable for convoys . The Battle of Latrun left its imprint on the Israeli collective imagination and constitutes part of the " founding myth " of the Jewish State . The attacks cost the lives of 168 Israeli soldiers , but some accounts inflated this number to as many as 2 @,@ 000 . The combat at Latrun also carries a symbolic significance because of the participation of Holocaust survivors .
Today , the battleground site has an Israeli military museum dedicated to the Israeli Armored Corps and a memorial to the Israeli War of Independence .
= = Background = =
= = = 1948 Arab – Israeli War = = =
After the adoption of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine in November 1947 , a civil war erupted in the British Mandate of Palestine . The Jews living in Jerusalem constituted one of the weak points of the Yishuv and a main cause for concern to its leaders . With nearly 100 @,@ 000 inhabitants , a sixth of the total Jewish population in the Mandate , the city was isolated in the heart of territory under Arab control .
In January , in the context of the " War of the Roads " , the Holy War Army of Abd al @-@ Qadir al @-@ Husayni besieged the Jewish part of the city and stopped convoys passing between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem . By the end of March , the tactic proved its worth and the city was cut off . The Haganah then launched Operation <unk> , 4 – 20 April , and managed to force through a number of large convoys . Following the death of Abd al @-@ <unk> al @-@ Husayni at al @-@ <unk> , the Arab League 's military committee ordered the other Arab force in Palestine , the Arab Liberation Army , to move its forces from Samaria ( the northern part of today 's West Bank ) to the road of Jerusalem and the areas of Latrun , Ramla , and Lydda .
In the middle of May , the situation for the 50 @,@ 000 Arab inhabitants of the city and the 30 @,@ 000 – 40 @,@ 000 in the outlying neighbourhoods was no better . After the massacre at Deir Yassin and the Jewish offensive of April that triggered the large @-@ scale exodus of the Palestinian Arabs in other mixed cities , the Arab population of Jerusalem was frightened and feared for its fate . With the departure of the British on 14 May , the Haganah launched several operations to take control of the city and the local Arab leadership requested King Abdullah of Jordan to deploy his army to come to their aid .
On 15 May , the situation in the newly declared State of Israel and the remnants of Palestine was chaotic with the British leaving . The Jewish forces gained advantage over the Arab forces , but they feared the intervention of the Arab armies that had been announced for that day .
= = = Geography = = =
Latrun is located at the crossroads between the Tel Aviv – Ramla – Jerusalem and Ramallah – Isdud roads in the area allocated to the Arab state by the United Nations Partition Plan . At that point , the Jerusalem road enters the foothills of Judea at Bab al @-@ Wad ( Sha 'ar <unk> ) . The fort dominated the Valley of Ayalon , and the force that occupied it commanded the road to Jerusalem .
In 1948 , Latrun comprised a detention camp and a fortified police station occupied by the British , a Trappist monastery , and several Arab villages : Latrun , Imwas , Dayr Ayyub and Bayt Nuba . During the civil war , after the death of Abd al @-@ Qadir al @-@ Husayni , the forces of the Arab Liberation Army positioned themselves around the police fort and the surrounding villages , to the indifference of the British . They regularly attacked supply convoys heading for Jerusalem . At that time , neither the Israeli nor Jordanian military staffs had prepared for the strategic importance of the place .
= = Prelude = =
= = = Operation Maccabi ( 8 – 16 May ) = = =
On 8 May , Haganah launched Operation Maccabi against the Arab Liberation Army and the Palestinian irregulars who occupied several villages along the Jerusalem road and prevented the resupplying of Jerusalem 's Jewish community . The Givati Brigade ( on the west side ) and Harel Brigade ( on the east side ) were engaged in fighting , notably in the Latrun area .
Between 9 – 11 May , a battalion of the Harel brigade attacked and took the village of Bayt <unk> , used by Palestinians as a base for the control of Bab al @-@ Wad . The " Sha 'ar <unk> " battalion of the Harel brigade also took up a position on the hills north and south of the road . It had to withstand the fire of the Arab Liberation Army artillery and the " unusual " fire of British armoured vehicles , but succeeded in holding the position and entrenched there .
To the west , on 12 May , Givati brigade troops took the British detention camp on the road leading to Latrun , but abandoned it the next day . Between 14 and 15 May , its 52nd battalion took the villages of Abu Shusha , Al @-@ Na 'ani and al @-@ <unk> north of Latrun , thus cutting off the zone from Ramla , the main Arab town in the area . Lapierre and Collins report also that a platoon of the Givati brigade fired on and then penetrated the fort without encountering any resistance on the morning of 15 May . Again to the east , on 15 May , the troops of the Harel brigade took Dayr Ayyub , which they abandoned the next day .
It is at this time that the Israeli officers in the field appreciated the strategic importance of Latrun . A report was sent from OC Harel brigade to OC Palmach that concluded that " The Latrun junction became the main point in the battle [ of Jerusalem ] " [ exact words must be taken from the source ] , but " that appreciation was not shared by the staff one week previously " . Meanwhile , because of the Egyptian Army 's advance , the Givati brigade got an order to redeploy on a more southern front , and the Harel brigade to remain in the Jerusalem sector . This decision to leave the area , and the fact of not planning for its strategic importance , would later be a source of controversy between Haganah chief of operations Yigael Yadin and Yitzhak Rabin , commander of the Harel brigade .
= = = The Arab Legion takes control = = =
During the confusion of the last days of the British Mandate and with the " entry in war " of the Arab armies , the position at Latrun changed hands without combat . Firstly , around 14 – 15 May , an order was given to Fawzi al @-@ Qawuqji and his Arab Liberation Army to withdraw and to leave the place to the Arab Legion . According to Yoav Gelber , this departure occurred before the arrival of the Jordanian troops at Latrun and the position was held by just 200 irregulars . Benny Morris nevertheless points out that a platoon of legionnaires of the 11th Company along with irregulars was there and took over the fort .
Indeed , as auxiliary forces of the British in Mandatory Palestine , several elements of the Arab Legion served in Palestine during the Mandate . The British had promised that these units would be withdrawn before the end of April , but for " technical reasons " , several companies didn 't leave the country . John Bagot Glubb , the commander of the Arab Legion , formed them into one division with two brigades , each made up of two infantry battalions , in addition to several independent infantry companies . Each battalion was given an armored @-@ car company , and the artillery was made into a separate battalion with three batteries . Another " dummy " brigade was formed to make the Israelis believe it was a reserve brigade , thus deterring them from counterattacking into Transjordan .
On 15 May , the Arab states entered the war , and Syrian , Iraqi , Jordanian and Egyptian contingents deployed in Palestine . Among these , the Jordanian expeditionary corps was mainly constituted by an elite mechanized force " <unk> " by British officers and named Arab Legion . It comprised :
the 1st Brigade comprising the 1st and 3rd Battalions in areas that lead to Nablus ;
the 3rd Brigade under the orders of Colonel Ashton comprising the 2nd Battalion under the orders of Major Geoffrey Lockett and the 4th battalion under the orders of Lieutenant Colonel Habes al @-@ Majali that took position at Ramallah ;
the 5th and 6th Battalions acting independently .
Glubb first realized ( " pris conscience " ) the strategical importance of Latrun in the Battle of Jerusalem . His objective was twofold : he wanted to prevent the Israelis from strengthening Jerusalem and from supplying the city , and he wanted to " make a diversion " to keep the strengths of the Haganah far from the city , warranting to the Arabs the control of East Jerusalem . In addition to the 11th Company already there , he sent to Latrun the whole 4th Regiment . During the night between 15 and 16 May , the first contingent of 40 legionnaires seconded by an undetermined number of Bedouins strengthened the position , and the remainder of the regiment reached the area on 17 May .
On 18 May , the strength of the Arab Legion deployed around Latrun and Bab al @-@ Wad was sufficient , and the road was blocked again . The Israeli general staff needed several days to assess the actual disposition of the Jordanian forces around Latrun and Jerusalem because these latter were thought to be at several locations in the country .
= = = Situation in Jerusalem = = =
At Jerusalem , after the successful offensives that enabled the Jewish forces to take control of the buildings and strongholds that had been abandoned by the British , Glubb Pasha sent the 3rd Regiment of the Arab Legion to strengthen the Arab irregulars and fight the Jewish forces . After " violent " fighting , the Jewish positions in the Old City of Jerusalem were threatened ( this felt indeed on 28 May ) . " We have surrounded the town " : on 22 and 23 May , the second Egyptian brigade , composed mainly of several battalions of irregulars and several units of the regular army , reached the southern outskirts of Jerusalem and continued to attack at Ramat Rachel .
Glubb nevertheless knew that the Israeli army would sooner or later be stronger than his and that he had to prevent the strengthening of the Harel and Etzioni brigades to secure East Jerusalem . He redeployed his strength on 23 May to reinforce the blockade . The Iraqi army , at that time seconded by tanks , relieved the Legion units in northern Samaria and these were redeployed towards the Jerusalem sector . The 2nd Regiment of the Legion moved to Latrun . A full Jordanian brigade was placed in the area .
On the Israeli side , several leaders of the Jewish city sent emergency telegrams to David Ben @-@ Gurion where they described the situation as desperate and that they could not hold out more than two weeks . Fearing that without a supply the city would collapse , Ben @-@ Gurion ordered the taking of Latrun . This decision seemed strategically necessary but was politically delicate , because Latrun was in the area allocated to the Arab State according to the terms of the Partition Plan and this attack was contrary to the non @-@ aggression agreements , concluded with King Abdullah This decision was also opposed by the Chief of Operations , Yigael Yadin who considered that there were other military priorities at that moment , in particular on the southern front , where the Egyptian army was threatening Tel Aviv if Yad Mordechai fell . But Ben @-@ Gurion set Israeli military policy . This difference in strategy influenced the outcome of the battle , and has been debated in Israel for many years .
= = Battles = =
= = = Operation Bin Nun Alef ( 24 – 25 May ) = = =
The task to lead Operation Bin Nun ( lit . Nun 's son , in reference to Joshua , Nun 's son , conqueror of Canaan according to the Book of Joshua ) was given to Shlomo Shamir , a former officer of the British army . His force consisted of 450 men of the Alexandroni Brigade and 1 @,@ 650 men of the 7th Brigade . Of these , about 140 to 145 were immigrants who had just arrived in Israel , nearly 7 % of the total . Their heavy weaponry was limited to two French 65 @-@ millimetre ( 2 @.@ 6 in ) mortars of 1906 ( nicknamed Napoleonchik ) , one 88 @-@ millimetre ( 3 @.@ 5 in ) mortar with 15 rounds of ammunition , one <unk> , ten 3 @-@ inch ( 76 mm ) mortars and twelve armored vehicles . Three hundred soldiers of the Harel Brigade were also in the area but were not aware of the operation , but assisted after finding out about it by intercepting a radio transmission .
The Jordanian forces were under the order of Lieutenant Colonel Habes al @-@ Majali . He " disposed " of the 4th Regiment and 600 Jordanian volunteers seconded by 600 local volunteers . The 2nd Regiment of the brigade , commanded by Major Geoffrey Lockett , had just left Jerusalem and arrived at Latrun during the battle . The brigade totalled 2 @,@ 300 men seconded by 800 auxiliaries . It had at its disposal 35 armoured vehicles with 17 Marmon @-@ Herrington Armoured Cars each armed with an anti @-@ tank 2 pounder gun . For artillery it had eight 25 pounder Howitzers / Field guns , eight 6 pounder anti @-@ tank guns , ten 2 pounder anti @-@ tank guns also sixteen 3 @-@ inch mortars .
Zero Hour ( that is , the start of the attack ) was first fixed for midnight 23 May . But it was delayed 24 hours because it had not been possible to gather troops and weapons in time . Because no reconnaissance patrol was made the Israelis didn 't know the exact composition of enemy forces . Intelligence reports just talked about " local irregular forces " . On 24 May at 19 : 30 , Shlomo Shamir was warned that an enemy force of around 120 vehicles , comprising armoured vehicles and artillery , was probably moving towards Latrun , urged an attack . The attack was postponed by 2 hours and fixed at 22 : 00 . The attack was planned on two axes :
The battalion of the Alexandroni brigade had to take the town of Latrun , the police fort and then Imwas in order to block any new Arab reinforcement , and also to protect the passage of supply convoys ;
The 72nd Battalion would circle the position by the south to join the Jerusalem road at the level of Bab al @-@ Wad ; it would then cross the road and climb the ridges to take Dayr Ayyub , Yalu and Bayt Nuba , and would ambush there to cover the passage of convoys . It would be supported by three armored cars and two half @-@ tracks of the 73rd Battalion .
During the night , something unexpected happened : a roadblock on the road that had to be used by the brigade had to be dismantled . Zero hour was once more modified and set at midnight . At last , the troops fought battle between 2 am and 5 am but with no benefit of cover . The attackers were rapidly discovered , depriving the Israelis of the surprise effect . The battle started at 4am . The Israeli forces were submitted to a strong fire . The artillery tried to intervene but felt rapidly out of ammunition or was not within range to provide a counter @-@ battery fire .