Castel National Park

Castel National Park

Conquering the high ground

The Castel is a hilltop with a Crusader fortress above the road to Jerusalem, beside the site of the Arab village of al-Qastal. Control of it changed hands several times in April 1948, during Operation Nachshon, when Haganah and Palmach forces fought to open the road, and the Arab commander Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni was killed in the fighting. The park preserves trenches, a memorial, and the Crusader ruins, and offers a view over the Jerusalem corridor.

Glossary: Castel National Park