Following the defeat of Gallus in Beth Horon in 66 CE, the People's Assembly was called under the spiritual guidance of Simeon ben Gamliel and thus the Judean provisional Government was formed in Jerusalem. Ananus ben Ananus, the former High Priest of Israel, was appointed one of the government heads and began reinforcing the city, with other prominent figures such as Joshua ben Gamla taking leading roles. Yosef ben Matityahu was appointed the commander in Galilee and Golan, while Joseph ben Shimon was appointed commander of Jericho, Yohanan the commander of Jaffa and Lydda, and Elazar ben Hananiya, the joint commander in Edom together with Joshua ben Zafia, with Niger the Perean (the war hero during the Gallus campaign) under their command.