Jaffa (Hebrew alphabet יפו, Standard Hebrew Yafo, Tiberian Hebrew Yāp̄ô; Arabic يافا Yāfā; also Japho, Joppa), Israel, is part of the municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo in the Tel Aviv District. It is a port city on the Mediterranean Sea and the historic gateway into Israel. It is mentioned several times in the Bible, and according to legend, was where the prophet Jonah sailed from on his way to Nineveh. It was an important city in the Arab middle east, prior to the establishment of Israel. During the Crusades it was the centre of the County of Jaffa, part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
History
On March 7, 1799 Napoleon I of France captured Jaffa and his troops proceeded to kill more than 2,000 Albanian captives.
The UN's Special Commission on Palestine in 1947 recommended that Jaffa would become part of the planned Jewish state, but due to the large Arab majority it had been redesignated as an enclave in the Arab state before the partition plan was adopted by the General Assembly.
On May 25, 1948, the Irgun paramilitary group began an assault on the city, occasioning the mass flight of most of the inhabitants. At one stage British forces engaged the Irgun in battle, but they did not commit enough resources to defend the city. A formal surrender to the Jewish forces was made on May 13, one day before Israel's declaration of independance.
Pre May 1948 The normal Arab population of around 75,000 was already down to 55,000. On the day of surrender less than three weeks later, only about 4,500 Arabs remained. Most of the Arab population fled, while others, particularly the poor segments living in Jaffa's Old City, remained. They form the basis of the modern Arab population of Jaffa. The refugees have not been allowed to return to their homes and are now scattered over the world, many living in refugee camps.
Agriculture and Industry
Jaffa was well known for its cash crops as citrus and Bananas. In 1945, Arabs planted 146,316 dunums with Citrus, while 66,403 dunums were planted by Jews. Jaffa was the most advanced city in Palestine in the development of its commercial, banking, fishing, and agriculture industries. Jaffa had many factories specializing in cigarette making, cement making, tile and roof tile production, iron casting, cotton processing plants, traditional handmade carpets, leather products, wood box industry for Jaffa orange, textile, presses and publications. It should also be noted that the majority of all publications and newspapers in Palestine were published in Jaffa.
Christian Jaffa
It was there that St. Peter raised to life the widow Tabitha, a name interpreted Dorcas (Acts, ix, 36-42), whose tomb is still the object of a popular pilgrimage. Being without importance during the first centuries of Christianity, Jaffaa did not possess a bishop until the fifth century. It was captured during the crusades, and became the centre of the county of Jaffa and Ascalon in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. One of its counts, John of Ibelin, wrote the principal book of the Assizes of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Retaken by Saladin in 1187, it was surrendered to Richard Coeur de Lion in 1192.
Each of the Christian sects in Jaffa maintained a church of its own: Roman Catholics, Maronites, Armenian, Qebtic, Scottish, and Anglican Lutherans. The Roman Orthodox maintained a church, a monastery for Saint Michael, and another church known by Saint George. The Latin sect maintained a church, a monastery for Saint Peter, and another one for Saint Anthony as well.
Displacement of the Arab Population
The reason why so many Arabs fled might have been the massacre at Deir Yassin on April 9, where 254 Palestinians by a combined force drawn from Irgun and from Lehi, known to the British as the "Stern Gang". The capture of Jaffa differed from the earlier conquests in that under the U.N. plan it was supposed to remain as a Palestinian enclave between neighbouring Tel Aviv and areas to the south and east designated as part of the Jewish state.
However according to Jewish intelligence officer Slunuel Toledano there were other factors as well which caused the Arabs to leave to quote, "The Etzel [Irgun] had been shelling Jaffa for three weeks before the Haganah [regular army] entered, making the Arabs very much afraid."
After the conquest, Irgun forces indulged in widespread looting. Reported Jon Kimche, former editor of the Jewish Observer and Middle East Review, the official organ of the Zionist Federation of Britain: "For the first time in the still undeclared war, a Jewish force commenced to loot in wholesale fashion." At first the young Irgunists pillaged only dresses, blouses and ornaments for their girl friends. But this discrimination was soon abandoned. Everything that was movable was carried from Jaffa-furniture, carpets, pictures, crockery and pottery, jewellery and cutlery.
The occupied parts of Jaffa were stripped. Historian Michael Palumbo wrote of Jaffa: "Not content with looting, the Irgun fighters smashed or destroyed everything which they could not carry off, including pianos, lamps and window-panes. Ben Gurion afterwards admitted that Jews of all classes poured into Jaffa from Tel Aviv to participate in what he called 'a shameful and distressing spectacle."
Destruction of the Old City
Soon after occupation, the Zionists blew up and bulldozed most of Jaffa's (75%) Arab section, and only the al-'Ajami, Old City, and small part of al-Mansheyyah survived demolition. Mostly (if not all) Jaffa's Suqs were obliterated including Suq al-Nahaseen, Suq al-Balabseh, Suq al-Maslakh, ..etc. In 1954, Jaffa became the suburb of Tel Aviv, and since then both cities are known by Tel Aviv-Yafo. Currently, Jaffa's Old City neighbourhood is being renovated, and mostly it is being inhabited by artists.
Jaffa's main port has been closed and all its shipping has been diverted either to Tel Aviv or Ashdod ports. Jaffa's main Clock Square now called Kikar Hagana (The Haganah's Square) and Jaffa's main street Bistress-Iskandar 'Awad is now known by Rehev Mifrats Shelomo. Jamal Basha street name has been changed to Jerusalem Street, and big portion of al-Manshiyyah neighborhood became a public park. It also should be note that currently Jaffa's Arab population numbers around 10,000 people.
Modern Jaffa
By the beginning of the twentieth century, the population of Jaffa had swelled considerably and new suburbs were built on the sand dunes along the coast. By 1909, the new Jewish suburbs north of Jaffa were reorganized as the city of Tel Aviv.
Modern Jaffa has a heterogeneous population of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The city is now an integral part of the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Jaffa is a major tourist attraction with an exciting combination of old, new and restored. It offers art galleries, souvenir shops, exclusive restaurants, sidewalk cafes, boardwalks and shopping opportunities. It offers a rich variety of culture, entertainment and food (fish restaurants).
Restoration of the Old City
The poverty of the population threatened the continuation of active life in Jaffa as a thriving city. In 1968, the Government of Israel and the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality decided to establish a corporation for the Development of Old Jaffa, entrusting to it the task of averting the total destruction of Old Jaffa's glorious past.
Old Jaffa has since become one of Israel's foal tourist attractions. It is filled with artists' quarters, studios and art galleries. Shops catering for Judaica, archaeology, jewelry aid art, line its narrow alleys which are named after the signs of the Zodiac.
Visitors from both Israel and abroad enjoy dining in its unique restaurants or simply wandering around. People seem to gaze in fascination at the sight of the ancient Port and the rocks, and some are dumbstruck by the beauty of Jaffa harbour set against the back drop of the city of Tel Aviv -the first Jewish city in modern times—a vital, dynamic and vibrant metropolis that never sleeps—and which has grown out of Jaffa. Old Jaffa in itself is a quaint city, more picturesque than ever, with romantic paths and gardens. All this, together with the Mediterranean's sun-drenched waves and the special lighting effects at night, serve to excite and arouse the senses and the soul.
Visitors arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel can hear about the old homes in a booklet called The Opinionated Tourist Guide. The guide is given to tourists, who can read that "the most beautiful homes in the country are the old Arab ones made of stone, built in the early part of the century, that dot the capital and some streets of Haifa and Jaffa ... They cost a fortune, however-$I million is not uncommon and there aren't many of them for sale.
References
- Morris, Benny. The Birth of the Palestine Refugee Problem. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
- Nakhleh, Issa. Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem. (2 vols.). New York: Intercontinental Books, 1991.
- Palumbo, Michael. The Palestinian Catastrophe: The 1948 Expulsion of a People from their Homeland. Boston: Faber and Faber, 1987.
- Quigley, John. Palestine and Israel: A Challenge to Justice. Durham: Duke University Press, 1990.
- Segev, Tom. The First Israelis. New York: The Free Press, 1986.
- Silver, Eric. Begin: The Haunted Prophet. New York: Random House, 1984.
External link
Last updated: 05-23-2005 01:12:01
