As other Jewish settlements in Arab-controlled areas were subject to massacres , the residents of Kalia grew apprehensive . After the Naharayim power plant , which straddles the Jordan River , had its Jewish employees taken prisoner by the Jordanians , the mistrust grew . Ben-Gurion ultimately ordered Kalia and Beit HaAravah evacuated , and on May 19 and May 20 , 1948 , hundreds of workers , kibbutz members , and the Palmach security contingent fled on a " fleet " of 17 small boats to the Mount Sodom complex , having sabotaged the factory 's equipment to prevent the now enemy from using them . Abdullah 's Arab Legion entered the site , which had already been vandalised by locals , on May 22 , and completely destroyed both the Potash facilities and the kibbutzim
were subject to massacres
Kfar Etzion massacre
Moshe Novomeysky