Lock Mount Scopus
Lock Mount Scopus In 1948, after the Partition Plan of the United Nations and the anticipation of the declaration of independence of Israel, Jerusalem was blocked by the Arabs, therefore also access to Hadassah Hospital and the University campus Hebrew on Mount Scopus. The only access was through a narrow road, a mile long. At 2:05 pm on 2 March 1948, the operator of the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem received a telephone call from an Arab warning that the hospital would be blown up within 90 minutes.Nothing happened that day, but the Arabs’ intentions became clear. At a press conference on March 17, the leader of Arab forces in Jerusalem, Abd al-Husayni, threatened that the Hadassah Hospital and Hebrew University would be captured or destroyed. The Arab snipers firing on all vehicles moved along the path, making this a regular event, and were also planted mines on the road. When food and hospital supplies became scarce, a large convoy of provisions and medical supplies was organized to send the beleaguered hospital. Although the British commander of Jerusalem to the Jews said that the road was safe, the sector commanders of the Haganah in Jerusalem advised a postponement due to high tension in the area. However, hospital staff decided to continue with plans to train.
