Tzrifin Tzrifin ( ) is an area in Gush Dan ( Dan Region ) in central Israel , located on the eastern side of Rishon LeZion and including parts of Be ' er Ya ' akov . The area proper is defined as an ' area without jurisdiction ' between the two cities . Nearly the entire area of Tzrifin proper is taken up by the central Israel Defense Forces base , Camp Yigael Yadin ( a . k . a . Camp Tzrifin , Camp 782 ) , with which it is synonymous , even though the base also spills into Rishon LeZion and Be ' er Ya ' akov . Camp Yadin contains a multitude of training bases , as well as Prison Four , the largest Israeli military prison . History . Tzrifin was founded in 1917 , during World War I , as a British base named Sarafand , after the nearby Arab village Sarafand al - Amar . Sarafand was a central British base in a strategic location , having a railway connection to Jaffa and Lydda ( Lod ) . The Transjordan Frontier Force ( TJFF ) was established at Sarafand on 1 April 1926 with a cadre drawn from the Arab Legion . The TJFF subsequently moved to Zerqa in October 1926 . During World War II , the Jewish Brigade was formed in Tzrifin . On 14 May 1948 , one day before the Israeli declaration of independence , British forces vacated Sarafand for the Jordanian Arab Legion . The adjacent Arab village Sarafand al - ' Amr was depopulated on 15 May . After a two - day battle , between the 18th and 19 May , the base was captured by the Jewish forces from the Givati Brigade . The place was named Tzrifin after a historical city with that name located in the area and mentioned in the Talmud . As the years passed , Rishon LeZion expanded to the east , eventually reaching the fences of Camp Yadin . As a result , the IDF decided to vacate Tzrifin and sell its land to private contractors due to the high land value . Most bases inside Camp Yadin are planned to be relocated to the City of Training Bases in the Negev . Location and geography . Tzrifin is located between Rishon LeZion on the west , and Be ' er Ya ' akov on all 3 other sides . It is 72 m above sea level and 15 km from the Mediterranean seashore . The base in it has three main entrances — Jaffa Gate , Jerusalem Gate and Rishon LeZion Gate , all of which are located within the municipalities , and not within Tzrifin proper . The Jaffa Gate links a street within the base to Road 44 ( Tzrifin Junction ) . At this location , there are a number of fast food restaurants and a pedestrian bridge which connects the base to the bus terminal on the other side of the road . The Asaf HaRofe Hospital is located near the Jaffa Gate . The Jerusalem Gate links the base to Tzahal Road ( Road 4313 ) in Be ' er Ya ' akov , which ultimately connects to Road 44 at the Nir Tzvi Junction in the Emek Lod Regional Council . The Rishon LeZion gate is located deep within Rishon LeZion and connects Rishon ' s Jerusalem Street with the base . Bases . As with many other IDF bases , Camp Yadin is merely a container base for many smaller ones . The following is a list of bases within Camp Yadin . Non - military use . During the 1950s , a " Ma ' abara " was located on the lands of Tzrifin , the residents of which eventually moved out to the nearby towns , especially Lod . Currently , several non - military installations are located in the Tzrifin area : Military evacuation and civilian development . The Israel Defense Forces is slated to move most bases in Tzrifin in 2013 – 2014 to the new City of Training Bases being built south of Beersheba . The area of the base will open to civilian development , and will be divided between the municipalities of Rishon LeZion and Be ' er Ya ' akov . Most of the area , 840 dunam s ( 0 . 84 km ) , will go Rishon LeZion , and much of it will be zoned for commercial development . This will including an industrial zone for medical development , next to the Asaf HaRofe Hospital . Be ' er Ya ' akov will get 560 dunams ( 0 . 56 km ) mostly for residential development .