On Friday a bullet casing was found on Tel Akko. This is not the first bullet to be found, and our expert, Dr Nick Pumphrey of Baker University says that he thinks it’s a British bullet; possibly a 303 from a Lee Enfield rifle. When the bullet has been cleaned this will become clearer. Jewish forces were trained by the British, and some had weapons that they had acquired in various ways, from the Mandate soldiers.
Sten gun bullets were found in the past, and these were made by a factory in Tel Aviv called Machon Ayalon. This factory was ostensibly a ‘kosher lipstick’ factory if the British should ask, but was in fact an underground bullet manufacturer.
Nick speaks about bullets and some recent history on the Tel.
Read more about the fall of Akko
By Mustafa Abbasi of the Institute for Palestine Studies
In studies of the 1948 war, little attention has been paid to the swift fall of one of Palestine’s most storied cities, the walled and fortified seaport of Acre. This article, based on archival sources, focuses on the six months leading up to the city’s conquest on 17 May 1948. Describing in detail the preparations of the city’s defense, the various military and political forces involved, and the dissensions and rivalries among them, the article goes on to trace the tightening siege and mounting harassment of the city and the growing despair of its residents, the city’s place in Haganah strategy, and the actual battle. Of particular interest is the role of the Druze Regiment stationed nearby. Most important, the author provides a clear understanding of why events unfolded as they did.
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