The Ramat Rachel shooting attack was a

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 200 ...

carried out by

Jordanian Legion The Arab Legion () was the police force, then regular army of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate, in the early part of the 20th century, and then of independent Jordan, with a final Arabization of its command taking place in 19 ...

soldiers, on 23 September 1956, who opened fire across the Israel/Jordan border on a group of Israeli archaeologists working inside Israeli sovereign territory near Kibbutz

Ramat Rachel Ramat Rachel or Ramat Raḥel ( he, רָמַת רָחֵל, ''lit.'' Rachel's Heights) is a kibbutz located in central Israel. An enclave within Jerusalem's municipal boundaries and overlooking Bethlehem and Rachel's Tomb (for which the kibbutz is ...

. Four Jewish archaeologists were killed in the event and 16 others were wounded.

The attack

On Sunday, 23 September 1956, a tour was held for a group of Israeli archaeologists at the archaeological excavations near Kibbutz

. During the tour

machine-gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

fire was opened on the archaeologists from Jordanian positions at

Mar Elias Monastery Mar Elias Monastery ( he, מנזר אליהו הקדוש, ar, دير مار إلياس, Deir Mar Elias) is a Greek Orthodox monastery in south Jerusalem, on a hill overlooking Bethlehem and Herodium. History According to Christian tradition, E ...

near the

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

road. The fire killed four people, including the archaeologist

Jacob Pinkerfeld Jacob Pinkerfeld, also spelled Pinkerfield (1897–1956) ( he, יעקב פינקרפלד) was an Israeli archaeologist and architect. Biography Jacob Pinkerfeld was born in the city of Przemysl, Galicia, Poland in 1897, the son of an architect ...

, and 16 others were wounded. Another person who was seriously injured in the shooting died eventually of his wounds five years later.

Official reactions

* : Jordan expressed regret for the incident and blamed a single soldier who was "suddenly taken by madness".''Israel Rejects Jordan's Claim Madman Killed 3'', Meriden Journal, 24 September 1956, accessed 16 August 2016

* : Israeli foreign ministry spokesman called Jordan's version completely unfounded, quoting witnesses at the event who stated that two submachine guns and three fire arms, rifles were clearly seen firing from two Jordanian army outposts across the border at the archaeologists in Ramat Rachel.

Aftermath

In response to the Ramat Rachel shooting attack, The Israeli Defence Forces carried out the Operation Lulav on 25 September 1956; the counterattack was held in the Arab village

Husan Husan ( ar, حوسان) is a Palestinian town located west of Bethlehem, in the Bethlehem Governorate. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Husan had a population of 5,511 in 2007. In the 1945 statistics the population of ...

, near

References

External links

Gunfire Kills Three Israelis
- Published in

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

on 23 September 1956 (dead link as of August 2016) {{Terrorist attacks against Israelis in the 1950s 1956 murders in Israel Mass murder in 1956 Terrorist incidents in Asia in 1956 Spree shootings in Israel Murdered Israeli children September 1956 events in Asia Mass shootings in Israel 1956 mass shootings in Asia Terrorist incidents in Israel in the 1950s History of archaeology Israel–Jordan relations Arab Legion