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1953 - 1957
SETTLEMENT DURING THE 50'S
During this period immigration absorption, settlement and development gained impetus in Adullam,
Lachish and Ta’anach in the Jezreel Valley, areas which until that time had not been settled. Roads
were paved to Sodom and Eilat.
The slowdown in rural settlement during the first years of the State made it possible to plan settlement
projects with a greater degree of precision. The new concept was district settlement - villages
populated by one ethnic group. In 1954-55 the first regional settlement was built - the Lachish Region
- with 16 settlements. Two years later an additional settlement bloc was set up in the Jezreel Valley
with nine settlements. At the same time, a further 12 settlements were added throughout the country,
in the area around the Gaza Strip and in the western Negev. After one decade of Statehood a total of
368 agricultural settlements had been established, mostly moshavim populated by new immigrants
from this great wave of aliyah.
RATIONING
The economic burden of those first years forced the Government to impose emergency rationing. The
idea originated with Dov Yosef, Minister of Rationing and Trade. The strong trade in foreign
currency, the fact that the industrial and agricultural infrastructure was destroyed during the war years
and the brief period of mass immigration - all these required proper economic evaluation. There was a
demand for quick housing solutions, for jobs and for an efficient infrastructure. To achieve this it
became necessary to limit imports and Government spending and to control prices and the free
market. Food, clothing and other necessities were rationed for a few years, but the restrictions were
gradually eased and eventually abolished in 1959.
THE HULAH VALLEY PROJECT - 1951-1958
The most ambitious and complex engineering project undertaken during those years was the draining
of the Hulah Valley.
Land in the Hulah Valley had been purchased in 1934 by the Settlement Preparation Company
(Hevrat Hachsharat Hayishuv). The Jewish National Fund bought additional tracts of land north of
the valley. Negotiations were conducted by Yehoshua Hankin. The Hulah Valley extends over
175,000 dunams (43,242 acres). In the center was Lake Hulah. An abundance of water flowed into the
lake from the west, the east and the Jordan River tributaries in the north. Over a period of thousands
of years a large swamp was formed. In the winter it spread over a wide area, with very little
evaporation in the summer. The region was infested with anopheles mosquitoes, which are malaria
carriers. The lake was home to a variety of rare plants such as the papyrus reed and animals
including buffalo and marten (a two and half foot long bushy carnivore) and also served as a way
station for migratory birds on their way from Europe to Africa. Nevertheless, it was decided to drain
the valley and dry up the swampland. The plan called for the preservation of a small nature reserve
(4,000 dunams - 988 acres) the remainder of this fertile land would be used for agriculture.
Drainage began in 1951. International companies participated in the project, which was carried out
under the supervision of the Jewish National Fund. The operation was concluded in 1958, when the
entire lake finally disappeared. During this entire period, work was continually interrupted by
incursions from the Syrian border.
Over the years it became apparent that the decision to drain the Hulah did not take into consideration
the ecological balance of land and water. It was therefore decided to flood sections of the valley, and
this was done in 1995.
THE SINAI CAMPAIGN - THE WAR OF KADESH - OCTOBER
29, 1956
The cease fire agreements finally collapsed - in fact there had never been a period of total peace and
quiet since they were signed. The Arab states did not accept the fact of the existence of the State of
Israel. Infiltration, theft and hostility were part and parcel of everyday life for the citizens of the State,
especially those in border settlements.
Hostile acts against Israel increased in the mid-50’s. Marauding gangs known as the fedayeen were
specially trained to infiltrate from the Gaza Strip and the Egyptian border. They sowed destruction
and death. Vehicles were attacked and their passengers murdered. The fedayeen even penetrated to
the center of the country, slaughtering women and children. The IDF (Israel Defense Force)
responded by establishing a special force, Paratrooper Unit 101, to initiate attacks upon enemy
territory and inflict as much damage as possible. Between 1948 and 1956 a total of 1,300 Israeli
citizens were killed or wounded, and more that 6,000 terrorist activities were recorded.
In September 1955 the Egyptians announced the closure of the Straits of Tiran to all vessels. Prior to
this, the Suez Canal had been barred to Israeli vessels, despite the fact that it is an international
waterway. Egyptian ruler Gamal Abdel Nasser signed a large weapons deal with Czechoslovakia at
the same time that the Syrians closed a similar deal with the Soviet Union. In October 1955 Syria and
Egypt signed a military treaty and established a joint Military Command headed by an Egyptian
general. In Jordan, elections to the Parliament were won by Nasser’s supporters, so Jordan entered the
alliance. Israel was far outnumbered by these forces. Egypt called for the destruction of Israel, and
every day the threat of war grew closer.
On October 29, 1956 the Sinai Campaign began. IDF soldiers parachuted deep into the Sinai Desert,
not far from the Mitla Pass. On October 30 the Governments of Britain and France demanded that
both Israel and Egypt cease hostilities and withdraw their forces ten miles from both sides of the Suez
Canal. Israel accepted the demand but Egypt rejected in. The next day Britain and France launched an
aerial attack, destroying Egypt’s air force and conquering Port Said and Port Fuad. Within eight days
the combined forces captured the entire Sinai Peninsula, in a brilliant operation which won praise
from military experts throughout the world.
In the course of the war hundreds of Egyptians were captured and much weaponry fell into the hands
of the IDF. At the end of the war the Straits of Tiran were opened, free passage on the waterways was
assured and the Egyptian threat was removed. An indirect outcome of the war was the immigration of
the many Egyptian Jews to Israel. The war cost the lives of 172 IDF soldiers.
America and the rest of the international community pressured Israel to retreat to the armistice
border, and an international emergency force was stationed on the border between Israel and Egypt.
American guarantees ensured that quiet was maintained in the region until just before the outbreak of
the Six Day War in June 1967.
News Briefs 1953 - 1957
Pictures reprinted with permission, all rights reserved to Alpha Press.
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