At the end of the War of Independence, it was decided in the agreement between Israel and Jordan on the demilitarization of Jerusalem, and its division. One of the clauses of the agreement limited the military force that was allowed to stay in the city.
According to the agreement, the size of the military force that each side could hold in Jerusalem was: an infantry battalion the size of 80 officers and soldiers, and whose weapons would not exceed 48 machine guns, 16 light mortars, and 8 "fiats" which are armored missiles. In addition, she was allowed to stay in the city an auxiliary company with few and limited weapons, as well as light field guns and light anti-aircraft guns.
According to the agreement, armor will not enter the city at all, including caterpillars, and the Air Force was also not allowed to operate inside Jerusalem, including light reconnaissance aircraft.
In 1961, the Israeli government decided to hold a full-scale march, as the agreement did not mention marches. It was explained to the Jordanians that the forces would have no ammunition and that the tanks and cannons would carry nothing in their bellies. The Jordanians were even offered to come and test the vessels.
It was also promised that the force would leave the city immediately after the parade. The Jordanians refused to approve the march, but it is still nonetheless. At Jordan's request, the Security Council discussed this issue, Israel was convicted of a serious breach of the agreement and was severely reprimanded. In 1967 it was again decided to hold a parade and this time not to violate the agreements, that is, a parade without heavy tools.
Two months before the march, Jordan had already been pressured to cancel it, but Israel transferred to the UN the force composition that did not exceed what is allowed under the ceasefire agreements. Jordan continued to slam Israel on the issue of the march:
On May 7, Jordanian observations reported a column of heavy artillery rising into the capital. A UN observer was summoned to check that there were no anti-agreement tools in the column, but he gave up the patrol. , Israel refused.
The Jordanians again filed a complaint that was clarified on May 10, and in the end, it was decided to continue the hearing on May 13. The Israelis appeared for a full-fledged meeting that included three members, and the Jordanians appeared with only two, so the meeting was again postponed to May 14. At this meeting, they went down to the grammar of the words in the agreement, with each party interpreting them differently. When the litigants got tired, the meeting was postponed again to May 15 at 08:30,
That is, the day of the parade itself a few hours before it begins.
The closing remarks were made while the parade was already underway. According to these sums, the UN determined that the march would increase tensions, and therefore did not support its editing. Israel in its sums condemned the Jordanians for actually filing the heart-to-heart tensions.
The parade marched through the streets of Jerusalem when the podium was at the University Stadium in Givat Ram. Who also organized the parade, - Eliezer Amitai.
On the eve of Independence Day, a nightly demonstration was held in Jerusalem, also at the University Stadium. In this demonstration, foot units appeared in torchlight exercises, dance groups, and fireworks were fired.
The above descriptions were written according to Uzi Narkis' book - "One Jerusalem". He goes on to say that at the end of the procession, a traditional Independence Day party was held, during which Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin was called by phone.
The description of Independence Day 1967, in which the tensions that later led to the Six-Day War and the liberation of the Old City began, is difficult to conclude without mentioning an event that may have been marginal, but the events that followed illuminated it in an important light:
On the evening of Independence Day, the Israeli Singing and Choral Festival was held at the Nation's Buildings in Jerusalem. I do not know how many people remember the name of the song that won first place, but many remember another song, which was not sung as part of the competition, those in the section between playing the competing songs and playing the results. A singer who few knew as Shuli Natan took the stage and sang Naomi Shemer's "Jerusalem of Gold" in a bell.
This song actually became an anthem a few weeks later, with the outbreak of the Six-Day War and the conquest of Old Jerusalem. So on that Independence Day, no one thought, when he heard the song, that he hears a kind of prophecy.
Slava is a professional tour guide in Jerusalem since 2006.