Memories of battle as Israel reaches 60
BLUE and white flags with the star of David brighten Jaffa's streets for Israel's sixtieth anniversary and the roar of practice aerobatics in the sky adds to the sense of anticipation.
But Sami Abu Shehadi, a member of Israel's Arab minority, is in no mood for tomorrow's festivities across Israel. As he likes to remind visitors, until 1948 this was a thriving Arab city, a cultural capital known for its writers and newspapers and a commercial centre with an ancient port. As part of what Palestinians view as the nakba, or catastrophe, of Israel's creation, Jaffa was conquered in April 1948 by the Irgun Jewish underground group and nearly vanished, with all but 3,000 of its 80,000 residents fleeing under Israeli pressure and becoming refugees in Lebanon, Gaza and elsewhere.
Scratch an Israeli name, or glimpse under a flag and you will find Palestinian history, Mr Shehadi, whose grandfather was one of the few Jaffans to stay, says on his alternative city tours.
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But Sami Abu Shehadi, a member of Israel's Arab minority, is in no mood for tomorrow's festivities across Israel. As he likes to remind visitors, until 1948 this was a thriving Arab city, a cultural capital known for its writers and newspapers and a commercial centre with an ancient port. As part of what Palestinians view as the nakba, or catastrophe, of Israel's creation, Jaffa was conquered in April 1948 by the Irgun Jewish underground group and nearly vanished, with all but 3,000 of its 80,000 residents fleeing under Israeli pressure and becoming refugees in Lebanon, Gaza and elsewhere.
Scratch an Israeli name, or glimpse under a flag and you will find Palestinian history, Mr Shehadi, whose grandfather was one of the few Jaffans to stay, says on his alternative city tours.