Castel National Park

Due to its strategic location, settlement in the area go back to antiquity. The Romans built a fortress there, known simply as Castellum to ensure their control of the road to Jerusalem.

The Crusaders built over the ruins of the Roman fortress a castle mentioned in chronicles as Castellum Belveer, of which no traces have been found.[2]

After the fall of the Crusaders, Castel disappeared from historical sources for centuries. Eventually, an Arab village grew up around this spot. The muhktar's house was built on the hilltop, on the ruins of the Crusader castle.

During the British Mandate of Palestine, the British referred to this district as "The Castle".

In 1947, the Arab siege on Jerusalem led to severe water and food rationing. With the population on the verge of starvation, supply vehicles began travelling the road in convoys accompanied by guards. Buses and trucks were covered with steel plates surrounding a wooden board which made them heavy and cumbersome. Their slow ascent to Jerusalem made them a perfect target. When the Arabs of al-Qastal saw a convoy approaching they would place a boulder across the narrow road and hide among the trees. When the driver stopped to clear the road, they lobbed explosives and massacred everyone in sight.[3]

By April 1, 1948, when Jerusalem had run out of water and the population was reduced to eating plants, the Palmach launched Operation Nachshon. The commandos found the village nearly empty and met with little resistance. When word of the Castel's fall reached Arab leaders, they ordered revered commander Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni to take it back. Thousands answered his call to arms. Equipped with knives, clubs, rifles, guns and explosives, they ascended the hill in waves, and attacked for five days. The Jewish defenders ran out of food and ammunition, and reinforcements failed to arrive.[3]

On April 8, two guards spotted three unidentified figures walking up the slopes and opened fire on them. Two fled, but one of them, who turned out to be al-Huysani, was killed. An hour later, a soldier listening to Arabic radio broadcasts heard a phrase repeated over and over: "The bird fell in the cage." The "bird" was a code word for al-Huysani. Masses of Arabs rushed to the slopes of the Castel and opened fire on three fronts. Many of the Jewish fighters were killed, and the Castel was recaptured. The next day, Palmah commandos returned at dawn and found only a few people left on the hill. The Arabs had recovered al-Huysani's body and gone to bury him.[3]