Iconic armored vehicles moved from highway

Seven Independence War-era armored vehicles that lined the middle of the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway were moved to a national park to make room for highway expansion early Wednesday.

The highway monument, near the exit to Shoresh, paid tribute to the armed convoys that traveled between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in 1948, while the city was under siege.

The convoys were frequently ambushed by residents of Arab villages in the area.

In 2009, the rusty and eroding vehicles were restored and half of them were moved to an area near Shaar HaGai designated for a memorial. The remaining seven vehicles positioned on the highway were also moved to that location early Wednesday.

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“Every time I pass these armored vehicles I look at them and remember that period,” Yehuda Ziv, an 88-year-old former Palmach fighter told daily Yedioth Ahronoth. “It’s not something you forget. Most people don’t know that the armored vehicles traveled in convoys for only four months, but these were very intensive and difficult months. I lost a lot of friends there.”

The monument will make way for a new lane on the highly congested highway, as part of ongoing roadwork. “Upgrading the highway will improve the traffic flow on one of Israel’s most significant arterial roads,” Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said.

The highway closed one lane in both directions Tuesday night, beginning 10:00 p.m., to transfer the vehicles to their new location.