 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 . 
