The modern city is named after the ancient seaport of Ascalon, which was destroyed in 1270 and whose remains are on the southwestern edge of the modern metropolis.
Baldwin of Jerusalem: Baldwin IV, known as the Leper King, was the king of Jerusalem from 1174 until his death in 1185. Baldwin ascended to the throne when he was thirteen despite having leprosy. He launched several attempts to curb the Egyptian ruler Saladin's increasing power.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was established in 1099 by Crusaders following the First Crusade. It was initially captured from the Fatimid Caliphate. While Godfrey of Bouillon was a key figure in its founding, his brother Baldwin Iwas the first to be crowned king in 1100. The kingdom existed until 1291, when its last major city, Acre, fell to the Mamluks.
The Battle of Ascalon was the last action of the First Crusade. In 1270, the Mamluk sultanBaybars ordered the fortifications and harbour at the site to be destroyed. As a result, the city was abandoned by its inhabitants and fell into disuse.
The Muslim conquests of the Levant began after Mohammad's death in 632 CE.The first Muslim conquest of Jerusalem, previously under Byzantine rule, took place between 636 and 637 CE. The Rashidun army, led by Abu Ubayda, initiated a siege in November 636. Patriarch Sophronius eventually agreed to surrender the city after six months, but only to the caliph. Caliph Umar traveled to Jerusalem to formally accept the surrender in either 637 or 638.
So after 70 CE when Jerusalem was taken by the Romans, other empires took the Levant. 567 years lapsed before the Arabs entered in 637. The name, Ashkelon, is Semitic, but Majdal(Arabic) and Migdal (Hebrew) mean 'tower'.
In the 1922 census of Palestine, Majdal had a population of 5,064; 33 Christians and 5,031 Muslims, increasing in the 1931 census to 6,226 (6,166 Muslims and 41 Christians) with 172 in the suburbs (167 Muslims, 4 Christians, and one Jew). Jews were often attacked.
Majdal was occupied by the Egyptian army in the early stages of the 1948 war, along with the rest of the Gaza region that had been allocated to the Arab State in the United Nations plan. Over the next few months, the town was subjected to Israeli air-raids and shelling. All but about 1,000 of the town's residents were forced to leave by the time it was captured by Israeli forces as a sequel to Operation Yoav on 4 November 1948.Israel had been declared, reborn in May 1948.
Some of the new Israeli government wanted the Arabs to leave, butsome also wanted them to remain. With time passing, perhapsthe best move was to allow them to stay and build up an Arabtrust in the Jews. They didn't realize what could happen, andthey moved the Arabs.
Majdal was granted to Israel in the 1949 Armistice Agreements. Re-population of the recently vacated Arab dwellings by Jews had been official policy since at least December 1948, but the process began slowly. The Israeli national plan of June 1949 designated al-Majdal as the site for a regional urban center of 20,000 people. From July 1949, new immigrants and demobilized soldiers moved to the new town, increasing the Jewish population to 2,500 within six months. These early immigrants were mostly from Yemen, North Africa, and Europe.
In 1949, the town was renamed Migdal Gaza, and then Migdal Gad. Soon afterwards it became Migdal Ashkelon. The city began to expand as the population grew.
In 1951, the neighborhood of Afridar was established for Jewish immigrants from South Africa, and in 1953 it was incorporated into the city. The current name Ashkelon was adopted and the town was granted local council status in 1953.
Skyline of Ashkelon
In 1955, Ashkelon had more than 16,000 residents. By 1961, Ashkelon ranked 18th among Israeli urban centers with a population of 24,000. This grew to 43,000 in 1972 and 53,000 in 1983. In 2005, the population was more than 106,000.The most recent population estimate for Ashkelon, Israel, is 153,138 as of 2022. This figure ranks Ashkelon as the third-largest city in the Southern District of Israel.
Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, Israel serving all people; Muslim and Jew
Barzilai Medical Center (Hebrew: מרכז רפואי ברזילי, Merkaz Refu'i Barzilai; Arabic: مركز برزيلاي الطبي) is a 600-bed district general hospital in Ashkelon, Israel opened in 1961. The hospital serves a population of 500,000, including a large number of Ethiopian and Russian immigrants, and has more than 100,000 admissions annually. Moshe Dayan was the Israeli general going into Ashkelon in 1950. Situated six miles fromGaza, the hospital has been the target of numerousQassamandGradrocket attacks, sometimes as many as 140 in one weekend. The hospital plays a vital role in treating wounded soldiers and terror victims.
Palestinian and Israeli families find a shelter at Barzilai hospital during shelling from Grad rockets from the Gaza StripAftermath of a Hamas rocket hit on the maternity ward of Barzilai Medical Center, on October 8, 2023
Plans to build a new rocket and missile-proof emergency room for the hospital in 2010 were hampered by ultra-orthodox protests sparked by the discovery of human remains in an ancient burial ground unearthed during construction activities. The hospital's new fortified emergency room was dedicated on February 20, 2018.
Since the beginning of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Barzilai Medical Center has endured three direct rocket hits. Despite its vulnerable location, the hospital is only partially protected, resulting in a current occupancy rate of just 30%, far below its capacity and need. An underground protected area was built, accommodating 285 beds, but the hospital still struggles with challenges like caring for premature infants and conducting dialysis treatments under these circumstances.
On October 8 2023, the second day of the conflict, hospital administration decided to relocate all patients from the women's and high-risk pregnancy departments to a protected underground area. This decision proved crucial, as shortly afterward, a rocket struck close to the evacuated departments. The hospital director, Prof. Hazi Levi, emphasized the importance of this preemptive action, especially given the severity of damage evident in the aftermath of the rocket strikes.
Ashkelon's inhabitants had been exclusively Muslims and Christians and the area had been allocated to the Arab state in the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. On the eve of the 1948 Arab–Israeli Warthe inhabitants numbered 10,000 and in October 1948, the city accommodated thousands more Palestinian refugees from nearby villages. One thing to remember is that Muslim Arabs allow at least 4 wives who have many children. Their population can quadrupal compared to Jews and Christians who usually have one wife at a time bearing children.
The town was conquered by Israeli forces on 5 November 1948, by which time much of the Arab population had fled, leaving some 2,700 inhabitants, of which 500 were deported by Israeli soldiers in December 1948and most of the rest were deported by 1950.Today, the city's population is almost entirely Jewish.
Resolution 181, passed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on November 29, 1947, suggested the creation of two states, one Jewish and one Arab.
The plan to partition Palestine would have established the Jewish state on an area of approximately 14,100 square kilometers, or 56.47 percent of the total land, to be inhabited by five hundred thousand Jews,four hundred thousand Arab-Palestinians, and ninety-two thousand Bedouins (in the Negev desert).
This means that the Jewish state was expected to host an almost equal number of Jews and belligerent Arab-Palestinians. This was an impossible dream.
Baron Edmond de Rothschild of France (19 August 1845 – 2 November 1934)
At the time, in the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, Jews accounted for about 30 percent of the total population, and owned approximately 6.7 percent of the land. (“Land ownership” was not common in the region: in 1951 In Iraq, for instance, only 0.3 percent of the registered land was owned as “private property”). Owned land was a rare occurrence in the Middle East. At the time was a time when the Ottoman Empire had lost the First World War, and the Allies were dividing up the land. It was a time when the Jews had spoken up, wanting back their native land that the Romans had taken from them in 70 CE. According to historical records, the primary source of funding for Zionists to purchase land in Palestine was the Rothschild family, a prominent Jewish banking dynasty who invested heavily in buying land in the region, particularly through the Jewish Colonization Association, starting in the late 19th century; with Baron Edmond de Rothschild being a key figure in these land acquisitions.He was a French member of the Rothschild banking family. A strong supporter of Zionism, his large donations lent significant support to the movement during its early years, which helped lead to the establishment of the State of Israel—where he is simply known as "The Baron Rothschild",
Tomas de Torquemada, grand inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition, is illustrated with King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella in 1478. Torquemada was extremely hostile toward Jews and likely influenced the issuance of the Edict of Expulsion. Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis via Getty Images
Jews had roamed for about 2,000 years without belonging to their own country, and this was at a time of much anti-Semitism being they had refused to comply with Christians and become part of their religion by conversion.
Chaim Weizmann
Britain held a 30 year mandate to be over Palestine. The Balfour Doctrine of Lord Balfour led all to believe that the English actually were for the establishment of a Jewish Homeland, which Jews needed badly. As it was, England wanted oil more than they realized; and gave 80% of the promised land to a Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia for benefitting oil rights. Note that a Jew, Chaim Weizmann (born Nov. 27, 1874, Motol, Pol., Russian Empire [now in Belarus]--—died Nov. 9, 1952, Reḥovot, Israel) was the first president of the new nation of Israel (1949–52), who was for decades the guiding spirit behind the World Zionist Organization. was a biochemist who helped create artillery that won WWI for the Allies but the Arabs won the favor of England anyway.
We had the League of Nations' okay; had bought land from Palestinians who could not afford the land taxes and paid the extreme high prices because it was holy land to Jews though by then consisted of swamps, weeds and mosquitoes and sand, and even had the United Nations blessing via Harry Truman of USA. We've lost 80% land to Abdullah and at least half of the remaining 20% to the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) leaving about 10% of the Promised Land, but it was to become Israel, small as it was. Jews have been returning to the land ever since, as prophesized in the Bible. Yet these glorious creations, the League of Nations and the updated United Nations, have done nothing but condemn Israel, setting the standard for all the world's people to follow. Will a Judgement Day follow? Who will get a passing grade and who will fail? Don't we all have this within us to judge right over wrong? Ashkelon, standard of Israel, doing good for all but shot at constantly: A significant number of attacks on healthcare facilities occurred during the Israel–Hamas war. During the first week of the war, there were 94 attacks on health care facilities in Israel and Gaza, killing 29 healthcare workers and injuring 24.
Biden and Harris, this is what Israelis have been facing for years; being hit by Katusha rockets. Where was everybody who should have stopped the terrorists after UN Oslo Accord meetings saying this was not allowed ?The Katyusha (Russian: ) is a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Chinese now build them as well as other places. The 1948 style has been replaced by a 2024 upgrade.
Harris was the topic on Carolyn Glick's TV show today as not wanting any Palestinians moved out of Gaza. She had called for an end to war in Gaza and NO ISRAELI OCCUPATION ! She and Biden want the PA to take over Gaza. That's their plan. U.S. Democratic presidential candidateKamala Harriscalled on Tuesday for an end to the Israel-Gaza war and said that Israel must not reoccupy the Palestinian enclave once the nearly year-old conflict comes to an end. Speaking in Philadelphia to the National Association of Black Journalists, she called for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, a two-state solution and Middle East stability in a way that does not empower Iran. Doesn't she understand that this is Israel's goal as well? Israel needs stability and cannot get it with Hamas at large. Iran is empowered by all their lackies bowing and gravelling at Iran's feet.
The PA failed to be able to do this after Israel moved out: lock, stock and barrel, and Hamas took over at the will of the people. Where have you two been? What was dreamed of in 2004 is no longer under the same conditions; Hamas has become stronger!
Hamas, who had taken over Gaza with the help of President Obama's pull, has a charter stating their goal is to destroy Israel and take it over. They have been attacking Israel ever since Israelis moved out of Gaza for the good of the Palestinian population. The disengagement plan was implemented in August 2005 and completed in September 2005. Israelis moved out completely, leaving businesses for the Palestinians to take over. They had no intention to become a peaceful state sharing a border line with Israel. Now they were just that much closer for their rockets, mortars, missiles and people to reach. They built tunnels as well.
No one came to the aid of Israel when the Palestinians attacked. Sderot lies 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the Gaza Strip and the town of Beit Hanoun. Sderot, a city on the border, was attacked all the time. Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the closest point is 840 m (2,760 ft)), and is notable for having been a major target of Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Between 2001 and 2008, rocket attacks on the city killed 13 people, wounded dozens, caused millions of dollars in damage and profoundly disrupted daily life. Although rocket fire subsided after the Gaza War (2008–09), the city has come under rocket attack on occasion since that time. Sderot was founded in 1951 as a transit camp for Israeli immigrants, primarily from Kurdistan and Iran. You see, when Israel was re-born again in 1948, Jews were thrown out of their Middle-Eastern homes. Of course, they made a bee-line for Israel. That's what it was intended for; a Jewish Homeland. We've been thrown out of so many countries at different periods starting with our own homeland of Judah, the last survivor of Israel of the 12 tribes.
So was Ashkelonwhich contained the main hospital of the region who had to move underground in order to continue serving the wounded and ill. Ashkelonis a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, 50 kilometres (30 mi) south of Tel Aviv, and 13 kilometres (8 mi) north of the border with the Gaza Strip. Most of the founding members of Hamas were born in Mandatory Palestine, outside of the Gaza strip, or have parents who were. Many of them were from villages that were in the vicinity of present-day Ashkelon, including most of the party's leaders:
Evidently our US government still doesn't understand the situation. Palestinian "citizens" are the children of Palestinian Hamas or Fatah-minded parents, who were either actively causing terrorism or complied with their bidding, and this goes back generations; at least to the 1920s when Jews were being attacked by Arabs.
Palestinians have Hamas weapons in their homes, under their homes in tunnels, stored in schools, hospitals, mosques, businesses, you name it. They aid and abet the terrorism going on practiced by Hamas because they are all for the cause, and the younger become the active fighters. UNRWA of the UN is a major aid and abetting organization that favors the Palestinians in a big way. A few workers there personally have been involved with terroristic work.
Egyptian Border: The only way to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza without assisting Hamas is to provide them with the same right afforded to those in war zones worldwide: The right to leave the war zone for third countries. From the outset of the war, the Biden administration has strongly opposed Israel’s efforts to persuade the Egyptian government to permit the people of Gaza to leave the area through the Rafah border crossing. In a speech last month in Tel Aviv, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reasserted U.S. opposition to permitting Gazans to leave the area. “The United States unequivocally rejects any proposals advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza,” he exhorted. The Nazis used this against Jews in 1939 when my Uncle Werner got out, one of the last to do so. Then the door closed on Jews, keeping them in Germany to board trains for the gassing. Of course, the problem Jews also had was finding a country allowing them in ! Werner still had the USA in 1939.
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