Castel National Park

Castel National Park (גן לאומי קסטל) is an Israeli national park consisting of a fortified summit. It is located in the Judean Mountains in the former Arab village of Al-Qastal. It is located 8 km west of Jerusalem, connecting to a road leading to Tel Aviv (Highway 1). The site is mostly known as the place of the key battles of Operation Nachshon, which were held in April 1948 during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Fierce battles that claimed many lives took place there as Arabs and Jews fought for control of the site, which overlooked the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway. The Castel exchanged hands several times in the course of the fighting. The tides turned when the revered Arab commander, Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, was killed. Many Arabs left their positions to attend al-Husayni’s funeral at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, April 9th. That same day, the Castel fell to the Israeli forces, virtually unopposed. The national park includes a memorial for the Israeli soldiers who died there. In 1980, Yitzhak Yamin designed a monument to honor these fallen soldiers. Additionally, there is a memorial representing the convoys who attempted to break through the blockade of Jerusalem.