The Burma Road: This bypass route was ingeniously forged in June 1948 by the Engineering Corps, under the command of Major General Emanuel Shahar, after Jordanian forces captured the Latrun police station, effectively severing the primary route to Jerusalem. Its purpose was to provide passage for Israeli Defense Forces and essential supplies from the vicinity of Kibbutz Hulda to Jerusalem.

Discovery of the Route: While numerous individuals have been credited with the discovery of the route, its path was, in fact, determined by graduates of an advanced driving course held in Jerusalem from February to May 1940. Originally conceived as a scouting course for members of the Haganah and the Jerusalem University scouting club, it was renamed a "drivers' course" due to the opposition of Yaakov Dori to scouting groups. Notably, both Emanuel Shahar and some of those who later claimed to have discovered the route were participants in this early course.

Etymology: The Israeli "Burma Road" takes its name from the historic original Burma Road, a vital supply line between Burma and China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Source: Wikipedia