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36-459: The Transjordan Frontier Force (TJFF) was established at Sarafand on 1 April 1926 with a cadre drawn from the Arab Legion and quickly grew to three cavalry squadrons, each of 120 men each, and an infantry unit. Its first commander was Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick William Bewsher. Other units, such as a camel squadron and mechanised units, were subsequently added. The TJFF would be equipped in

72-490: A conventional manner, with modern weapons, whilst the Arab Legion would, initially, remain a traditional force, looser in structure and without training in technology. Accordingly, the Arab Legion transferred its inventory of machine guns, artillery, and radios. In the post- World War II era, with the independence of the Transjordan and of Palestine looming, there was no longer a requirement for an Imperial Service unit in

108-563: A few Jews. In 1930, the strength of the TJFF was 980 men, including 28 Jews. Tzrifin Tzrifin ( Hebrew : צְרִיפִין ) is an area in Gush Dan (Dan Region) in central Israel , located on the eastern side of Rishon LeZion and including parts of Be'er Ya'akov . The area proper is defined as an 'area without jurisdiction' between the two cities. Nearly the entire area of Tzrifin proper

144-546: A larger number of Jews fleeing from postwar Europe and persecution in Arab countries . However, many new immigrants did not then come to Tel Aviv. In the 1950s, towns were built on the edges of the Gush Dan, including Ashdod , Rosh HaAyin and Yavne . The nation's sole port was then located in the northern city of Haifa and its evolving metropolitan area, making that city at least as important as Tel Aviv. The new government

180-489: A quartermaster, or Lt.(QM). He was posted to the TJFF in 1926 as a local Captain and remained with it as the unit expanded in wartime. In 1941, he was awarded the OBE as a temporary lieutenant-colonel. By 1929 there were also four Troops of Reservists The first recruits to the TJFF were largely from the disbanded Palestine Gendarmerie . Palestinian Arabs made up around 70 percent of the other ranks. There were some Sudanese in

216-589: Is a conurbation in Israel , located along the country's Mediterranean coastline . There is no single formal definition of Gush Dan, though the term is in frequent use by both governmental bodies and the general public. It ranges from combining Tel Aviv with cities that form an urban continuum with it, to the entire areas from both the Tel Aviv District and the Central District , or sometimes

252-475: Is primarily focused on serving the Gush Dan, although it is being replaced by the Kavim company in many of the Gush Dan's cities. Much of Israel's national highway network feeds into the area, such as Highway 1 , Highway 2 , Highway 4 , and Highway 5 . Gush Dan is also served by the local Ayalon Highway . Israel Railways , the state owned, national rail network provider, also feeds most traffic into or within

288-655: Is referred to as Gush Dan. The modern city of Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 as a suburb of the Arab-majority coastal city of Jaffa . The city of Tel Aviv grew rapidly in the ensuing decades by Jewish immigration from Europe , with its population reaching 150,000 in 1934, and 230,000 when Israel gained its independence in 1948. Before the establishment of Israel , other towns in the Gush Dan were founded as well, such as Petah Tikva in 1878, Rishon LeZion in 1882, Ness Ziona in 1883, Rehovot in 1890, and most other Gush Dan cities were established before 1948. In 1947,

324-608: Is so named because the area was the territory of the tribe of Dan in the ancient Kingdom of Israel . According to the biblical narrative, the tribe had originally tried to settle in the central coastal area of Canaan , but enmity with the Philistines , who had already settled there, caused it to be able to camp only in the hill country overlooking the Sorek Valley . The camp location became known as Mahaneh Dan ("Camps of Dan"). The region that they attempted to settle included

360-626: The Jewish Brigade was formed in Tzrifin. Starting in the 1930s, next to the military camp there was a concentration camp for Arab and Jewish Palestinian convicts in administrative detention , and for Jewish illegal immigrants . On 14 May 1948, the day of the Israeli declaration of independence , British forces vacated Sarafand. False rumours suggested the British sold the base to

396-590: The Negev desert, Southern Israel. In 2019 the central part of the camp was demolished to give way for 1,100 new apartments for Rishon LeZion. Tzrifin is located between Rishon LeZion on the west, and Be'er Ya'akov on all 3 other sides. It is 72 m (236 ft) above sea level and 15 km (9.3 mi) from the Mediterranean seashore. The base in it has three main entrances—Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem Gate and Rishon LeZion Gate, all of which are located within

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432-525: The Talmud . As the years passed, Rishon LeZion expanded to the east, eventually reaching the fence line of Camp Yadin. As a result, the IDF decided to vacate Tzrifin and sell its land to private residential developers due to the high land value. By the early 2020s the IDF is expected to vacate all of its installations from Tzrifin, with most of their functions being relocated to new bases to Camp Ariel Sharon in

468-578: The 1970s and 1980s, when outer regions of the Gush Dan with lower costs of living absorbed many of the people who had left Tel Aviv. Only in the 1990s, with the immigration of more than 1 million Jews from former Soviet Republics , 40,000 Ethiopian Jews , and many others to Israel, as well as a boom in the religious population, would Tel Aviv begin to grow again. The demand for housing increased dramatically, with new cities such as Modiin and El'ad being built, and cities like Ashdod more than doubling in population, from 83,000 in 1990, to 175,000 in 2000. In

504-481: The 2000s, the area continued to grow, attracting many immigrants from the Haifa metropolitan area . With a population of 4,052,200 people as of 2019, Gush Dan is home to the commercial, economical, cultural, and industrial center of Israel . The Tel Aviv urban conurbation, stretching from Netanya to Ashdod, concentrates the largest Jewish population globally, nearing 3.9 million Jews. This figure significantly surpasses

540-584: The Arabs, but only Arab residents of nearby villages, some of whom worked in the base, entered the base for looting. The adjacent Arab village Sarafand al-'Amr was depopulated on 15 May. After a two-day battle, between the 18th and 19 May, the base was captured by the Jewish forces from the Givati Brigade . The place was named Tzrifin after a historical city with that name located in the area and mentioned in

576-561: The Gush Dan region. The Tel Aviv Light Rail is also a major feature in the regions transport, as well as the high speed service to Jerusalem . Two airports are located in the Gush Dan; Sde Dov Airport which closed at 2019, and Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod which is Israel 's largest airport handles over 22 million passengers a year and offers flights to destinations in Europe , Africa , Asia , and The Americas . The Tel Aviv Metro

612-432: The Jewish population of the Gush Dan was nearly 400,000 and was the majority of the Jewish population of Mandatory Palestine . As such, almost all of it was included in the Jewish state proposed by the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine . After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , the Arab population of the region, which had been nearly 150,000 before the war, was reduced to around 10,000. They were quickly replaced by

648-660: The Jewish population of the New York metropolitan area, which ranks second with 2.1 million Jews. Despite some successes in ongoing attempts by the Israeli government to encourage migration to the Galilee and the Negev , Gush Dan retains its position as the heart of Israel. Population in cities as of the end of 2021: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics divides the Tel Aviv metropolitan area into four: The Dan Bus Company

684-697: The Nir Tzvi Junction in the Emek Lod Regional Council . The Rishon LeZion gate is located deep within Rishon LeZion and connects Rishon's Jerusalem Street with the base. As with many other IDF bases, Camp Yadin is a container base for many smaller ones. The following is a list of bases within Camp Yadin. During the 1950s, a Ma'abara was located on the lands of Tzrifin, the residents of which eventually moved out to

720-583: The South and repurpose the land for residential development. Tzrifin is a hebrew form of Sarafend (Ṣarafand / صرفند), an Arabic rendition of the Phoenician place-name *Ṣrpt. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the area of Tzrifin belonged to the Nahiyeh (sub-district) of Lod that encompassed the area of the present-day city of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut in the south to the present-day city of El'ad in

756-477: The TJFF was called upon to help deal with Arab unrest in Palestine. The camel company moved to Jericho and a cavalry squadron went to Jisr el Majamie . A second cavalry squadron was raised and dispatched as reinforcement in early 1930. In 1930, the mechanised company, based at Ma'an, was formed and later that year the camel companies were disbanded. Motorisation extended the range of the TJFF further out into

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792-467: The area as far north as Joppa and as far south as Shephelah in the area of Timnah . As a result of the pressure from the Philistines, the tribe abandoned hopes of settling near the central coast and instead migrated to the north of the country. After conquering Laish, the tribe refounded it as its capital and renamed it Dan . In remembrance of the original territory assignments, the coastal region

828-765: The area, 840 dunams (0.84 km ), will go Rishon LeZion, and much of it will be zoned for commercial development. This will including an industrial zone for medical development, next to the Asaf HaRofe Hospital. Be'er Ya'akov will get 560 dunams (0.56 km ) mostly for residential development. An archaeological excavation was conducted at Khirbet Tzrifin in 2010 by Ron Toueg on behalf of Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). 31°57′31.25″N 34°50′22.33″E  /  31.9586806°N 34.8395361°E  / 31.9586806; 34.8395361 Gush Dan Gush Dan ( Hebrew : גּוּשׁ דָּן , lit.   ' Dan bloc ' ) or Tel Aviv metropolitan area

864-523: The camel company before 1930 when the company was replaced by a mechanised company. Jews and Arabs, being better educated, served in the technical and administrative posts. By 1935 just under 25 percent of the Force were Circassians (a small ethnic, Muslim minority living in Trans-Jordan). The senior commanders were all British Army officers, however junior officers were Arabs, Circassians, Sudanese and

900-522: The desert. In 1930 the TJFF had 980 men, including 28 Jews. Whilst most British officers were seconded to the TJFF typically for a period of about five years, the Quartermaster (QM) of the TJFF held the distinction of serving with the unit effectively throughout its duration, becoming a symbol of continuity. George Townsend Paley was a Great War veteran who had earned the DCM and had been commissioned as

936-643: The municipalities, and not within Tzrifin proper. The Jaffa Gate links a street within the base to Road 44 (Tzrifin Junction). At this location, there are a number of fast food restaurants and a pedestrian bridge which connects the base to the bus terminal on the other side of the road. The Assaf HaRofeh Medical Center is located near the Jaffa Gate. The Jerusalem Gate links the base to Tzahal Road (Road 4313) in Be'er Ya'akov, which ultimately connects to Road 44 at

972-418: The nearby towns, especially Lod . Currently, several non-military installations are located in the Tzrifin area: The Israel Defense Forces is slated to move most bases in Tzrifin in 2013–2014 to the new City of Training Bases being built south of Beersheba . The area of the base will open to civilian development, and will be divided between the municipalities of Rishon LeZion and Be'er Ya'akov . Most of

1008-485: The north, and from the foothills in the east, through the Lod Valley to the outskirts of Jaffa in the west. This area was home to thousands of inhabitants in about 20 villages, who had at their disposal tens of thousands of hectares of prime agricultural land. Tzrifin was founded in 1917, during World War I , as a British base named Sarafand or Sarafend , after the nearby Arab village Sarafand al-Amar . Sarafand

1044-503: The region. On 9 February 1948 the 3,000 man Trans-Jordan Frontier Force was disbanded and most of its members transferred to the Arab Legion. The TJFF served under Headquarters, British Forces, in Palestine and Trans-Jordan, from 3 September 1939 until 9 February 1948. The O.C. TJFF was a British lieutenant colonel, with headquarters at Zerqa . Second-in-command was a British major, responsible for administration, workshops, quartermaster's stores and pay. The adjutant, another British major,

1080-644: The remainder at Force HQ. In 1935 there were 24 British officers – the OC, seven majors and sixteen captains. The TJFF spent its first six months training in Palestine at Sarafand then at Shunet Nimrin (from October 1926) in the Jordan Valley. TJFF HQ moved to Zerqa east of the Jordan River in Trans-Jordan. The cavalry squadrons were based at Zerqa and the camel company was based at Ma'an . In 1929,

1116-519: The whole Metropolitan Area of Tel Aviv , which includes a small part of the Southern District as well. Gush Dan is the largest conurbation and metropolitan area in Israel and the center of Israel's financial and High technology sector. The metropolitan area having an estimated population of 4,156,900 residents, 89% of whom are Israeli Jews . The name Gush Dan means "Dan Bloc", and

Transjordan Frontier Force - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-589: Was a central British base in a strategic location situated nearby the important railway junction at Lydda ( Lod ) – which was accessible from the base via a spur off of the Jaffa–Lydda–Jerusalem railway . The Transjordan Frontier Force (TJFF) was established at Sarafand on 1 April 1926 with a cadre drawn from the Arab Legion . The TJFF subsequently moved to Zerqa in October 1926. During World War II ,

1188-409: Was responsible for training and personnel and was aided by an assistant adjutant who was an Arab officer. The squadrons and companies were all commanded by British majors, with another British officer as second-in-command. The cavalry squadrons were organised into three rifle troops (36 men) and one machine gun troop (36 rifles and 4 machine guns). The normal tactical and reconnaissance unit however,

1224-427: Was taken up by the central Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base, Camp Yigael Yadin (a.k.a. Camp Tzrifin, Camp 782), with which it is synonymous, even though the base also spills into Rishon LeZion and Be'er Ya'akov. Camp Yadin contains a multitude of training bases , as well as Prison Four , the largest Israeli military prison . In late 2010s it was decided to vacate the area, move its bases to Camp Ariel Sharon in

1260-410: Was the half-squadron or half-company and these were commanded by local captains. Each half-squadron or company consisted of two troops, led by local lieutenants and captains. By the end of 1927 there were 39 officers, including 17 British, 12 British warrant officers , three staff sergeants and 676 other ranks. In 1930 there were 17 British officers, two in each of the four squadrons and companies with

1296-567: Was then trying to disperse the nation's population to the periphery and discouraged settlement in the already-populated Gush Dan. That slowed the growth of the Gush Dan, but the area still more than doubled in population within 20 years of the establishment of Israel. The opening of the Port of Ashdod in the southern Gush Dan also increased the area's importance, with the importance of Haifa diminishing and that of Tel Aviv increasing because of its proximity. Tel Aviv itself witnessed population decreases in

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