At dawn one chilly December morning in 1936, at the height of the Great Arab Revolt, a small convoy of trucks carrying guards and a group of young people made its way to the Beit Shean Valley. The objective, which required courage, effort and singlemindedness was very clear: to establish a protected settlement in the heart of a hostile area, within one day, before nightfall. And it succeeded. Towards evening, Tel Amal (today Nir David) was standing, the first settlement in the Stockade and Tower operation, which changed the face of the settlement enterprise and determined the future borders of the State of Israel. The Stockade and Tower operation was an innovative method of establishing a settlement, protected by a wall and a watchtower, in just one day. The idea was to build everything essential in advance in order to enable rapid assembly on site, so that the residents could defend themselves while completing the construction. Thanks to the speed and element of surprise, Tel Amal was indeed constructed within just one day. 56 more settlements were built over a period of three years, as part of this operation, with the support of Keren Hayesod. Some of them were in dangerous border areas. The British were amazed to see how the Jewish Yishuv and the pioneers succeeded in overcoming all obstacles and doing the impossible
Photo: Stockade, tower and tents at Hanita, 1938