Jerusalem is Divided
With the proclamation of the State on 5th of Iyar, 5728, May 14th, 1948, the War of Independence broke out during which the Jordanian Legion captured the Old City. A complicated situation was created as the border between Israel and Jordan divided the city of Jerusalem in two. The Old City was under Jordanian rule and for 19 years there was no possibility of entering it or reaching the Western Wall. The Jewish nation was detached from its heart.

The Six Day War Breaks Out – June 5th, 1967
After 19 years, the Six Day War broke out on June 5th, 1967. When war broke out, the orders were not to open fire in Jerusalem since Jordan, which controlled the Old City, had not joined the war. Abdullah, King of Jordan, changed his mind and decided to join the war. The situation changed and orders were given to recapture the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Liberation, a First Hand Account
The paratroopers brigade was situated in the Rockefeller Museum north of the Old City. There they organized themselves and set off to surround the Old City. After surrounding the Old City, an order was given to capture it.  Then, the paratroopers burst through Lion's Gate, one of the gates of the Old City, captured it and liberated the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

"…the clocks showed 10:12 in the morning, on 28 of Iyar, 5728.  The half-tracks moved quickly forward and stood at the head of the line. The commander of the paratroopers unit, Motta Gur, stood in line. He commanded the brigade that had surrounded the Old City for the last 24 hours. In an emotional voice and yet, reserved, as was his way, he announces over the communication equipment: "Paratroopers. Today we are standing at the gates of the Old City that we have dreamed of for so long. Be proud of yourselves!"
We all shiver. The order goes out to move forward. The command half-tracks burst forth to cross Lion’s Gate that had been shattered earlier by our tank mortars. The sound of the impact was enormous and the gates trembled before the onslaught of the troops. We are inside. The rest of the troops burst through in the wake of the half-tracks and pass quickly under the blackened arch of Lion's Gate …
We reach the Omar mosque. From here until the Western Wall, the distance is short. Men quickly advanced on the paved area.  With great emotion, the heart beats quickly.
We are among the first to reach the small opening. From here, narrow and winding steps lead us to the Western Wall. The Western Wall, the last remnant of the Temple. Jewish footsteps have not walked here for 19 years. We are pushed forward by the stream of exultant soldiers…hundreds of dusty, sweaty soldiers, their clothing stained with blood…crowding into the narrow rectangular space in front of the Wall…tough men, who for two days have carried out heavy fighting, imprinted with blood…stood and cried out loud without embarrassment, a cry of release and emotion, a cry of spiritual elevation and a recognition of the greatness and eternity of the nation of Israel…."
(excerpted from text by one of the soldiers)

Paratroopers Formation on the Temple Mount – June 12th, 1967
On Monday, the fourth of Sivan, June 12, 1967, at the end of the War, a formation was conducted of the paratroopers brigade on the Temple Mount.
The words of the commander of the paratroopers, Motta Gur were as follows:

"To the paratroopers, liberators of Jerusalem: when the Temple Mount was captured by the Greeks, it was liberated by the Maccabees;
In the destruction of the Second Temple fought the zealots and Bar Kochba.
Until you came, you the paratroopers and returned it to of the nation.
The Western Wall, towards which every heart beats, is again in our hands.
Many Jews put their lives in danger, throughout our long history, in order to reach Jerusalem and live in it.
Numerous songs of yearning expressed the deep yearning that beats in the heart of every Jew for Jerusalem….
For me – my goal has been achieved. The Temple Mount is in our hands. The Temple Mount means also the Western Wall.
When I stand in the parlor, I am not attracted to the outer walls…
The Temple Mount. Mount Moriah. Abraham and Isaac. The Temple. The zealots and the Maccabees, Bar Kochba, Romans and Greeks. Everything is mixed together in our thoughts.
However, the feelings are stronger and deeper than anything. We are on the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is ours!"

 
The Paratroopers Who Captured the Wall Cried
Yitzhak Rabin was the Commander in Chief of the IDF at the time of the war. Here he describes the feelings of the soldiers:

"The entire nation stands amazed and many cried when they heard the news about the capture of the Old City.
The Sabra youth, even more so the soldiers, do not usually tend towards sentimentality or are ashamed to express such feelings in public.
However, the effort of the war and the fear that preceded it – a feeling of salvation and the touch the soldiers- went straight into the heart of Jewish history, cracked the tough shell and awakened a wellspring of feeling and spiritual revelation. The paratroopers who captured the Wall – stood leaning against it crying. This is a rare occurrence. It is doubtful if there have been many such occurrences in the history of the nations."
(Yitzhak Rabin, Mt. Scopus, 28th of June, 1967)

And the tears pour down and they look at one another in embarrassment. How did this happen – that paratroopers are crying?
How does it happen that they touch the Wall with such emotion?
How does it happen that from the tears they turn to song?
Perhaps it is because these boys who are 19 were born with the creation of the State. They are carrying 2000 years on their shoulders.
(Haim Hefer)