The Arab Legion and the Defense of Jerusalem

The Arab Legion standing in formation. (Photo by Howard Sochurek//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

"To crown this hope of peace based on new democratic possibilities in the Arab world, I as a Muslim, a Hashemite, and an Arab, and as a person who seeks to satisfy my conscience, have called for talks to achieve an accord on the Holy Places in Jerusalem which removes all sovereign claims except for those of Almighty God."

Al-Hussein bin Talal
King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The Arab legion

The Arab Legion (al-Jaysh al-Arabī) was Transjordan's and later also Jordan's regular army. It was formed in 1921 by Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Gerard Peake as a police force to keep order among Transjordanian tribes and to guard the important Jerusalem-Amman road. Originally, the Legion consisted of only 150 men, most of them stationed along the roads.

In 1939, John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha, became the Legion's commander and transformed it into the best trained Arab army.

During World War II, the Legion took part in the British war effort against the Nazis' allies in the Middle East Theatre and contributed in the Syria-Lebanon campaign and in the Anglo-Iraqi War, two decisive Allies' victories.

The Legion was the most successful of the Arab armies during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The Legion was initially removed to Transjordanian territory, under instruction from the United Nations, prior to the end of the British Mandate. With the commencement of hostilities the Legion re-entered Palestine.

There was considerable embarrassment from the United Kingdom government that British officers were employed in the Legion during the conflict and regular British officers, including a brigade commander, were instructed to return to Transjordan. This led to the bizarre spectacle of British officers leaving their units to return to Transjordan before sneaking back across the border to rejoin the Arab Legion. Without exception all of the affected officers returned to their units. One British MP called for Glubb Pasha to be imprisoned for serving in a foreign army without the King's permission.

At Latrun, the Legion blockaded the Jerusalem highway. Legion troops, aided by Marmon-Harrington armoured cars, conquered the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem (the Jewish Quarter within the Old City of Jerusalem i.e. inside the walls of the Old City) but escorted the Jews who lived there to safety in May 28, 1948. The Legion also secured the West Bank for Transjordan.
Following the war, the Legion was reformed as the army of Jordan. (1)


The Defense of Jerusalem

The heroism and effectiveness displayed by the Hashemite Jordanian armies during their defense of Palestine in 1948 is widely acknowledged. In particular, the Battle of Jerusalem exemplified the professional and valiant performance of Jordan's Arab Legion. In Jerusalem, Arab Muslims fought together as one in resistance to the Zionist invasion. Therefore, the Arab Legion's successful recapture and defense of the holy city was a great victory for Arabs and Muslims not only in Palestine, but throughout the world.

The Battle of Jerusalem can be broken into four distinct phases. The stage was one of unofficial war between Arabs and Jews. It started in December of 1947 and ended with the commencement of military engagements in May, 1948. The UN partition resolution prompted this phase of hostilities, which was characterized by frequent rioting and local skirmishes. The second phase began when Jewish militias invaded the Old city in April, 1948, and lasted until the entry of the Jordanian Arab Legion into Jerusalem on May 18 of that year. On May 2, a cease-fire took effect between Arabs and Jews, and remained in force until the evacuation of the British. The same truce was elaborated on May 7 to include the removal of Jewish troops, who by that time occupied the Arab quarter of the city. The Jewish militias did not adhere to the truce, and consequently controlled much of Jerusalem when the British mandate expired. This blatantly violated the partition plan, which specified Jerusalem as the center of a special international zone.

Despite the enormous military challenge such an operation presented, Jordan's King Abdullah insisted on dispatching the fabled Arab Legion to defend Jerusalem. when the Arab Legion entered the Old City on May 18, commencing the third phase of the Battle of Jerusalem, the Israelis were already firmly entrenched. Indeed, in previous days they had been attacking pockets of Arab resistance in an attempt to complete their seizure of Jerusalem. Fierce fighting ensued when the Hashemite forces entered the city, yet the well-trained Arab Legion managed to gain the upper hand quickly. After ten days of heavy fighting, the Arab Legion defeated the Israelis in the Old City.

Jordanian forces also took a strong position at Latrun, cutting the primary road which connected Jerusalem with Jaffa and Tel Aviv. During the Battle of Latrun, an Israeli contingent of 6500 men was unable to break through a 1200 man Jordanian force defending western access to the city. The Israelis, however, managed to build and defend a secondary road (the Burma Road) to the city, thereby securing West Jerusalem. On June 11, a truce was agreed upon, and hostilities ceased for almost a month. A stalemate had been reached, with the Jews controlling West Jerusalem and the Jordanian Arab Legion defending the Old City and the adjacent Arab quarters.

In early July, the Israelis launched a determined offensive to capture Arab Jerusalem, yet they were unable to penetrate the stubborn defenses of the Arab Legion. The United Nations imposed a second cease-fire on July 19. The Hashemite forces had successfully defended the Holy Places from the Zionist invasion. While fighting fierce battles to safeguard the city, the Jordanian armies made every effort to prevent damage to the Holy Places, thereby preserving them for future generations. (2)

Arab Legion badge

(1)Source

(2)Source