חשיפה: הבסיס המשותף ליחידה 8200 והסוכנות לביטחון לאומי של ארה”ב, על פסגת הר אורה
I reported some years ago that the NSA maintained a joint base with the IDF’s Unit 8200 to intercept telecommunications from throughout the Middle East. I also noted that the base, known as Ofrit, was located in East Jerusalem just across the Green Line (and hence in occupied territory). Though many journalists had reported on intelligence-sharing and extraordinarily close ties between the NSA and Unit 8200, no one had ever discovered that the two agencies actually maintained a joint base.
Now I can report, based on a knowledgeable Israeli source, that the joint base has moved from Ofrit to another site in Jerusalem called Ora. It is known as a “mountain” but is really a hill with excellent views of the surrounding countryside, which is what makes it a good location for a SIGINT facility. Israel’s government website shows a blurred space in the same spot where Google Earth shows the base and its buildings clearly. The only “improvement” in its location is that it is no longer in occupied Palestinian territory.
Though the reason for the move isn’t clear. There has been at least one arson attempt on the outskirts of the old base. The prospect of losing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of advanced spy gear certainly could’ve motivated this move. The old Ofrit base now houses a unit of the IDF Home Command.
Before Ora became a moshav settled largely by Yemenite immigrants, it was a Palestinian village, al Jura, whose inhabitants were expelled in 1948. Wikipedia calls this “depopulation,” which is a euphemism for expulsion. Hamas’ co-founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassine, who was assassinated by Israel, was born in the village.
Someone should write a book on all the various bitter ironies regarding destroyed Palestinian villages and the uses to which they were put by Israel afterward; starting with Deir Yassin, which became the mental asylum, Kfar Shaul. It seems strangely fitting that the site of a brutal massacre should later house Israeli Jews facing deep mental trauma.
In ancient times human beings built their great monuments, cathedrals, and shrines atop sites with commanding views to signal their awe in the face of nature’s majesty. Today, they build spy bases.
You give no source for this intel. BTW what about the two commands in the north which are actually more important geographically?
Another term for expulsion is ethnic cleansing
@Greg
@Richard
There is zero proof that the Arab village of al-Jura was ethnically cleansed.
During Israel’s War of Independence, there were two Arab villages called al-Jura, one near Ashkelon, and one near Jerusalem.
Al Jura (Ashkelon district) was indeed fought over and conquered by the IDF during ‘Operation Dani’.
There is no proof whatsoever that al-Jura (Jerusalem) was contested.
The IDF did conquer and occupy the Arab village of Ein Karim, nearby to al-Jura, in a battle that lasted 10 days.
Two hilltops overlooking Ein Karim, Khirbet Beit Mazmil and Khirbet al Hamama, were used by the IDF to mortar Ein Karim. Both names of the hilltops suggest ancient ruins, and not inhabited villages.
Since the town Ein Kerem had been partly evacuated in April, 1948, it is likely that al-Jura, which was dependent on Ein Kerem for water, had also been evacuated in April, 1948.
I
t is possible that Khirbet al Hamama is the hill on which al Jura was located, but that would be pure speculation.
@ Philly
Had I the time and the means this is an interesting pursuit: tracking down the story of these places beyond wikipedia (thankful for that). This is particularly difficult with various spellings. But wikipedia does have this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ein_Karem stating that it was an inhabited village.
According to Zochrot: “The people of al-Jura, most of whom were Muslims, relied on the neighboring village of Ayn Karim and on Jerusalem for many of their services. They drew their drinking water from a spring that was west of the village and relied on other springs to the west and southwest for irrigating their fruit orchards and vegetable fields. The village was known for the high quality of its fruit, especially grapes. In 1944/45 a total of 846 dunums was allotted to cereals; 1,125 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.”
“Circumstantial evidence indicates that al-Jura was first captured by Israeli troops in the course of Operation Dani. The HIstory of the War of Independence recounts that on 11 July, Israeli units operating in the southern part of the Jerusalem corridor captured two hilltops (one of which was later renamed Mount Herzl) overlooking Ayn Karim and vegan to bombard it before occupying it. Those hills were located in the immediate vicinity of al-Jura, which probably fell at the same time.”
“Israel established the settlement of Ora on village land, 0,5 km east of the site, in 1950.”
https://zochrot.org/en/village/49070
PS: Evacuation followed by a prohibition to return home = ethnic cleansing.
@ Elizabeth- thanks. The link gets it’s information from Walid Al-Khalidi, a name familiar. He documented the destroyed villages.I was wondering if indeed the hilltops were also inhabited and then “cleansed”.
@ Philly Freeze
“Al-Jura (Ashkelon district) was indeed fought over and conquered by the IDF during Operation Dani”
Nope ! You’re mixing up the two Al-Jura, if you knew even a bit about Operation Dani (including the Ramleh-Lydda expulsion, just after the massacre in Lydda) you would know that. The Al-Jura next to Majdal and Ashkelon was conquered in November during Operation Yoav.
PS. Do others ave difficulties to respond to comments ?
@Deir Yassin: I switched to a new comment system 2 weeks ago. Would you tell me either here or via email or the contact form what the probliem is so I can try to fix/address it?
@Dein Yassin
@ Potter
I didn’t confuse the two al-Juras, I misnamed the operation in November, which makes no difference to whether al Jura (Jerusalem) was ethnically cleansed in July. There is no proof offered by Khalidi, or anyone else, that it was ethnically cleansed. Considering that al Jura (Jerusalem) sat in the middle of a heated war zone for 10 days, it is reasonable to infer that the inhabitants fled or were evacuated during this time. Nearby Ein Karem was partly evacuated by order of the Arab Liberation Army and the Arab States weeks before the battle for Ein Karem.
Recall that Potter’s ‘twin peaks’ had names other than al-Jura and that the IDF could have used other nearby hills as well to bombard Ein Karem.
There were eyewitnesses and there were historical records of the battle for Ein Karen and neither witnesses or archives have been produced that prove that al Jura (Jerusalem) was ethnically cleansed or depopulated by the Zionists. Quite the contrary.
@ PhillyFrozen: Of course there is evidence. At one time the Palestinian village had inhabitants. Then the Palmach mounted an attack on the village and environs. Are you claiming that when the Palmach attacked they acted like Boy Scouts and escorted elderly Palestinians between artillery barrages? Of course not. The Palestinians were in the way and either they ran for their lives or the Palmach forcibly expelled them or both. And no, no one “evacuated” them. What utter nonsense.
At the end, there were no Palestinian inhabitants and none were permitted to return. That, in all reasonable quarters (which excludes you), is ethnic cleansing. The only way you’d believe the truth is if we presented you a video of the villagers running for their lives under the Israeli guns and artillery. Even then you’d cry “Pallywood” and run for the hills yourself. What a pathetic propagandist you are. Where does Hasbara Central dig up you people??
Do not post in this thread again.
Next Freezy is going to tell us that the whole Operation Dani wasn’t about ethnic cleansing, next he’s going to tell us there was no massacre in Lydda the day after al-Jura was captured, that there was no massive expulsion from Ramleh and Lydda, 70.000 in one ‘shot’ (known to Palestinians as the Lydda death march) where people who resisted was gunned down …… (cf. testimonies published by Zochrot by at leat one Haganah-fightr who participated).
I wonder why Al Jura is empty now. So strange, all these Palestinians voluntarily deciding to move to ‘greener pastures’… I am so sick of Israelis who lie about the founding of the state. Intellectual cowardice, combined with whining about being singled out is a nauseating combination.
@ Elisabeth
You wonder why the inhabitants of al-Jura left ? Like all the others, because they were antisemitic of ocurse !
@deir Yassin: I have a slightly different take on the matter: I think .the Palestinians of al al Jura were extraordinarily considerate and moved because they knew Israel would make superior use of their land; and that they were genuine Zionist patriots who wanted to help with the war effort. 🤔
Yup, it is in their (and our) genes. Israeli’s really believe that. Young people are astonished, when travelling abroad for the first time,to see that the world actually does not care very much about their ethnic.religious background.