Arnona

Arnona (Hebrew: ארנונה‎‎) is an upscale neighborhood in southern Jerusalem, situated between the neighborhoods of Talpiot and Ramat Rachel.

The most common explanation for the neighborhood’s name is its view of the biblical River Arnon, now Wadi Mujib in Jordan, running from the Moab Hills to the Dead Sea.

Arnona is one of the highest points in Jerusalem at 800 meters above sea level. From Arnona one can see the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, and, as mentioned, the River Arnon/Wadi Mujib. The neighborhood is bordered by the Hebron Road/Derech Hevron and Talpiot neighbourhood to the west, Kibbutz Ramat Rachel to the south, Old Talpiot to the north, and the Judean desert to the east.

Arnona was founded in 1931 (5691 according to the Jewish calendar) on land owned by the Keren HaEzra company according to plans created by the architect Richard Kaufmann. In 1935, another neighborhood named “Binyan v’Melacha” was founded alongside Talpiot; this neighborhood has since been incorporated into the Arnona area. Together with other nearby Jewish areas (Talpiot and Mekor Chaim), Arnona gradually became a southern suburb of Jerusalem separated from the main city by the Arab neighborhoods of Baka and Talbieh, and the German Colony area.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Arnona was on the front line. In May 1948, Arnona was occupied by Arab forces. An attack by Egyptian, Jordanian, and local Arab troops led to a retreat by Jewish forces from Arnona and Ramat Rachel. A combined unit of the Hagana and Palmach later retook the area.

The 1949 cease fire agreement with Jordan placed the cease-fire line at the eastern border of Arnona. This cease fire line was part of the "Kav Ironi", the Jerusalem section of the Green line separating the Jordanian and Israeli armies. The border was patrolled by a dedicated force, but the only physical barrier was an unguarded barbed-wire fence. With the Six-Day War in 1967, Arnona gained its current borders.

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Wikipedia