may 18, 1948 - Operation Kilshon

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Operation Kilshon ("Pitchfork"), executed by the Haganah and Irgun from May 13-18, 1948, was designed to seize the Jewish suburbs of Jerusalem, with a particular focus on Talbiya. The operation strategically coincided with the British withdrawal from Jerusalem on May 14, immediately after which Jewish forces launched their offensive.

As British forces evacuated, leaving through convoys towards Haifa and Bethlehem, the Yishuv forces swiftly moved to take over the "Bevingrad" zones—fortified areas established by the British around critical infrastructure to deter Irgun attacks. These zones, named sarcastically after British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin and reminiscent of the fortifications in Stalingrad, included key sites like the Russian Compound, the Anglo-Palestine Bank, and the Generali Building.

On the same day of the British withdrawal, Irgun fighters captured the Generali Building along Jaffa Road, marking the beginning of their control over strategic points in Jerusalem, including the Russian Compound and the Police Academy. They also secured areas such as the Notre Dame Church, the American Colony, Sheikh Jarrah, Talbiya, German Colony, Baka, Talpiot, and the Greek Colony.

These territories seized during Operation Kilshon formed the basis of what would become Israeli-controlled West Jerusalem, although subsequent conflicts in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War would lead to numerous redrawing of Jerusalem's frontiers.

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