Historical Background: Until the 1967 Six-Day War, this site was a Syrian army base named “Murtafa,” which means in Arabic “high and strong.” The base commanded the main road that connected the Galilee to the Golan, and gave the Syrians a considerable strategic advantage over the valley below.
When the IDF captured the Golan Heights, the villages of Northern Israel were freed from constant shooting and shelling by the Syrian army.
About the memorial: Mitzpe Gadot (“The Gadot Lookout”) is a monument in memory of the soldiers of the Golan Brigade (not Golani), who fought in this area. It consists of a triangular cement block that faces east and symbolizes the brigade soldiers leaving for battle. The memorial was designed by the sculptor Ezra Orion, who was the commander of the Golan Brigade Recon Unit during the war.
On the other side of the memorial is a shaded area with picnic tables and a nice view of the Kingdom of Jordan, the Golan, and the Hula Valley. It’s possible to go down into the fortified trenches and bunkers and see the view as the soldiers saw it.
