The District of al-Ramla

al-Latrun

 This strategically located hamlet, which controlled the Jerusalem-Jaffa road, was the scene of a long series of battles in the course of the war. Six separate Israeli attacks were launched to capture the al-Latrun salient. The residents of al-Latrun moved to the neighboring village of 'Imwas destroyed in 1967. Their houses remained empty until 1967, when the Israeli army captured al-Latrun during the June War. All the houses have been destroyed. There are also a few almond and carob trees and cacti on the site. Ironically, using original village land –leased from the nearby Trappist Latrun monastery- the Israeli settlement of Newe Shalom was established in 1983: This village is run and settled by Jewish Israeli and Palestinian Israeli families, in a unique experiment of peaceful coexistence.