Page 15 - Old Katamon INT RB_Neat

15
Intermediate Level – ‫קטמון הישנה‬

The Semiramis Hotel Bombing

In 1947 there were a number of Jewish neighborhoods around the
Arab Katamon neighborhood. The Arab soldiers fired at these
neighborhoods day and night.
In order to help the residents of the neighborhoods, the Haganah
decided to attack the commanders of the Arab forces.
Soldiers of the Haganah saw the great commander Al-Houseiny’s
Jeep near the Semiramis hotel in Katamon and thought that that’s
where he is [located]. In the middle of the night they arrived at
the hotel and placed bombs under the building. The explosion was
powerful and 26 people were killed by it, and the hotel was
destroyed.
The British were very angry over the act, especially when they
found out that Al-Houseiny wasn’t at the hotel at the time of the
explosion. When Ben-Gurion had heard about it, he too was angry
and he fired the operation’s commanders.
The hotel wasn’t rebuilt after the explosion, and today (you) can
find a house there.

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