Arabic pin from Kfar Etzion massacre uncovered
A pin belonging to a soldier of the Arab Legion was found outside of the town of Gush Etzion; the Arab Legion, which was renamed the 'Jordanian Arab Army' in 1956, participated in the massacre of 129 men, women, and children in Kfar Etzion in 1948.
On a hill next to Kfar Etzion, resident Yoni Ohayon found a pin in Arabic dating back to the difficult battles for Gush Etzion during the 1948 War of Independence.
The pin, which says "Jaysh al-Arabi" (Arab Army), was a shoulder pin worn by soldiers of the Arab Legion, which was renamed the Jordanian Armed Forces in 1956.
It seems that the pin fell off of a soldier's uniform during the Battle for Gush Etzion, when Jordanian soldiers overran the Kibbutz on May 13, 1948, killing 129 Jews, including 50 children.
After surrendering, many of the survivors of the battle were gathered in a courtyard and killed extra-judicially by the Arab Legion and the Arab irregulars. Some of the Jews survived the massacre and managed to escape, only to be hunted down and killed by the Arab Legion.
Yaron Rozenthaul, head of the Kfar Etzion Field School said that "this pin joins a mosaic of evidence which documents the tragic legacy of what happened in Gush Etzion during the War of Independence. While we are currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of the re-establishment of Gush Etzion, we never forget the defenders who paid with their lives to block the path of the Arab Legion."
