A Syrian MiG-17 at Betzet landing strip in 1968.
Data[]
| Category. | Statistic. |
|---|---|
| Location. | Israel. |
| Opened in. | Some time during World War 2 |
| Closed in. | Some time after 1968. |
| Operated by. | Israeli Air Force after taking over from the British Mandatory Authority's air unit in 1948. |
| Owned by. | Israeli Defense Force after taking over from the British Mandatory Authority in 1948. |
| Outside links. | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sirian_Mig-17.jpg, https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betzet, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Arab_Air_Force, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betzet, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Betzet_(Moshav) and https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g1918733-Betzet_Galilee_Northern_District-Vacations.html. |
History[]
Landmarks[]
Tel Betzet (Tel means "hill" or "archaeological site") is located south of the village. It has pottery vessels from the Copper Age and the middle Canaanite period. Likewise wine-pressing holes and graves from the Roman and Byzantine imperial eras are preserved. The area is about 2,200 dunams. Most of the residents work in growing bananas, avocadoes and turkeys. A road was built to Betzet in the 1950s.
Pre-cold war[]
Betzet Aerodrome, a disused World War II British aerodrome to the west of Betzet. A helipad has been built on the north-western part of the runway by the Israeli Air Force. There are numerous derelict structures from the British era on site; they include AA gun mounts, underground aircraft pens and hangars.
Cold War[]
Moshav Betzet was founded in 1951 by on land belonging to the Arab village al-Bassa, which was destroyed in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The founders were immigrants to Israel from the Balkan states, especially Yugoslavia and Romania. The community is named after the ancient village of Betzet which is estimated to have existed nearby. On 12 August 1968, 2 Syrian MiG-17F aircraft landed in error at Betzet.
Modern usage[]
The aerodrome grounds are used today as agricultural land and contain banana, olive and pomegranate groves. The Israeli Air Force uses the helipad occasionally and the local radio control flying model club has its activity on the helipad on weekends.