Latrun

The Battles of Latrun were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Jordanian Arab Legion on the outskirts of Latrun between 25 May and 18 July 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Latrun takes its name from the monastery close to the junction of two major highways: Jerusalem to Jaffa/Tel Aviv and Gaza to Ramallah. During the British Mandate it became a Palestine Police base with a Tegart fort. The United Nations Resolution 181 placed this area within the proposed Arab state. In May 1948, it was under the control of the Arab Legion. It commanded the only road linking the Yishuv-controlled area of Jerusalem to Israel, giving Latrun strategic importance in the battle for Jerusalem. Despite assaulting Latrun on five separate occasions, Israel was ultimately unable to capture Latrun and it remained under Jordanian control until the Six-Day War. The battles were such a decisive Jordanian victory that the Israelis decided to construct a bypass surrounding Latrun so as to allow vehicular movement between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, thus avoiding the main road. Regardless, during the Battle for Jerusalem, the Jewish population of Jerusalem could still be supplied by a new road, named the "Burma Road", that bypassed Latrun and was suitable for convoys. The Battle of Latrun left its imprint on the Israeli collective imagination, though in two different versions, and constitutes part of the "founding myth" of the Jewish State. The attacks cost the lives of 168 Israeli soldiers, but some accounts inflated this number to as many as 2,000. The combat at Latrun also carries a symbolic significance because of the participation of Holocaust survivors. Today, the battleground site has an Israeli military museum dedicated to the Israeli Armored Corps and a memorial to the 1947–1949 Palestine war.

Latrun Interchange is a key road interchange of Israel, located in the Latrun Salient in the Israeli occupied West Bank. It lies on the route between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 3. It is a slightly modified diamond interchange. The high speed ramps of westbound Highway 1 connect with Highway 3 at a traffic-light controlled junction. The high speed ramps of eastbound Highway 1 connect with Highway 3 at two offset, uncontrolled junctions. The interchange lies east of the Green Line within the Latrun Salient, technically part of the West Bank.

The Battle of Emmaus took place around September 165 BC during the Maccabean Revolt between Judean rebels, led by Judas Maccabeus (Judah Maccabee), and an expedition of Seleucid Empire forces under generals Gorgias, Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor near Emmaus. The battle was won by the Maccabee rebels, who marched by night and surprised the Seleucid camp while many soldiers were absent. The victorious Maccabees looted the Greek camp for valuables and likely weapons to help further their cause.

Emmaus (; Greek: Ἐμμαούς, Emmaous; Latin: Emmaus; Arabic: عمواس, ʻImwas) is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, before two of his disciples while they were walking on the road to Emmaus.Although its geographical identification is not certain, several locations have been suggested throughout history, chiefly Imwas and Al-Qubeiba, both in the West Bank. It is known only that it was connected by a road to Jerusalem; the distance given by Luke varies in different manuscripts and the figure given has been made even more ambiguous by interpretations.

Imwas or Emmaus (Arabic: عِمواس), known in classical times as Nicopolis (Greek: Νικόπολις, lit. 'City of Victory'), was a Palestinian Arab village located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) southeast of the city of Ramla and 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Jerusalem in the Latrun salient of the West Bank. It is traditionally (possibly from as early as the 3rd century, but probably incorrectly) identified with the biblical Emmaus.After the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Imwas fell under Jordanian rule. Its population at the time was predominantly Arab Muslim, though there was an Arab Christian minority. Captured by the Israeli Defense Forces during the Six-Day War on June 7, 1967 along with the neighbouring villages of Yalo and Bayt Nuba, the villagers of Imwas were expelled and the village destroyed on the orders of Yitzhak Rabin. Today the area of the former village lies within Canada Park, which was established by the Jewish National Fund in 1973.

Neve Shalom (Hebrew: נְוֵה שָׁלוֹם, lit. 'Oasis of Peace'), also known as Wāħat as-Salām (Arabic: واحة السلام) is a cooperative village in Israel, jointly founded by Israeli Jews and Arabs in an attempt to show that the two peoples can live side by side peacefully, as well as to conduct educational work for peace, equality and understanding between the two peoples. The village is located on one of the two Latrun hilltops overlooking the Ayalon Valley, and lies midway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Falling under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council, in 2021 it had a population of 356.

Mini Israel (Hebrew: מיני ישראל) is a miniature park located near Latrun, Israel in the Ayalon Valley. Opened in November 2002, the site contains miniature replicas of hundreds of buildings and landmarks in Israel. The tourist attraction consists of about 350 large models of notable buildings. The scale of 1:25 produces skyscrapers that tower over an adult and historic churches taller than a child.

Canada Park (Hebrew: פארק קנדה, Arabic: حديقة كندا, also Ayalon Park,) is an Israeli national park stretching over 7,000 dunams (7km2), and extending from No man's land into the West Bank. The park is located north of Highway 1 (Tel Aviv-Jerusalem), and is situated near the Ayalon Valley, between the Latrun Interchange and Sha'ar HaGai. The park is full with natural attractions, including man-made forests, Mediterranean woodlands home to many local flowers, and the remains of ancient orchards. The park also has a number of historical interest, including a Hasmonean Jewish fort, burial caves and ritual baths of the Second Temple period and the Bar Kokhba revolt, a Crusader fort, a Roman bathhouse that was turned into a maqam, the remnants of three former Palestinian Arab towns, and various military memorials. There are also recreation areas, springs, and panoramic several hilltop views.Canada Park is considered a popular tourist destination for Israelis, drawing some 300,000 visitors annually.

Burma Road (Hebrew: דרך בורמה Derekh Burma) in Israel was a makeshift bypass road between Kibbutz Hulda and Jerusalem, built under the supervision of General Mickey Marcus during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem. It was named for the Chinese Burma Road.

Bayt Susin (Arabic: بَيْت سُوسِين) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine, located 17 kilometers (11 mi) southeast of Ramla. In 1945, it had 210 inhabitants. The village was depopulated during the 1948 war by the Israeli 7th Brigade.

Nahshon (Hebrew: נַחְשׁוֹן, lit. Pioneer) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located in the Ayalon Valley to the south-west of Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 589.

Khirbet el-ʻAqd (Arabic: خربه العقد) or Horvat ʻEqed (Hebrew: חורבת עקד) is an archaeological site in the Latrun salient of the West Bank, approximately 22 km northwest of Jerusalem. The site, situated on a hill, contains the ruins of an ancient fortified town dating from the Hellenistic period through the Bar Kokhba revolt (130s CE), after which the site was ultimately abandoned. The site has yielded significant finds, including robust fortifications constructed during the Hellenistic period, possibly by the Seleucid general Bacchides. These defenses were subsequently strengthened during the Bar Kokhba revolt, suggesting the site's potential role as a major rebel stronghold during that period. Further discoveries from this revolt include hiding complexes and coins used by the Jewish rebel state. Notable among the findings are Jewish ritual baths, as well as remnants of weaponry such as armor scales, slingshots, ballistae and arrowheads. Khirbet el-ʻAqd is believed to be the site of the Hellenistic and early Roman-period town of Emmaus, with the name later shifting to a newer, larger city situated on the slopes, 2 km away from the original location.