Demolishing and Neglection and Poverty in Jaffa
The city of Jaffa is situated on a slightly elevated stretch of the Palestinian coast. It is midway between Haifa in the North and Gaza in the South. The port of Jaffa is considered to be one of the oldest in the world. It was built four thousand years ago by our ancestors the Canaanites. It was named Jaffa (the pretty, beautiful). This beautiful city continued to prosper through the ages. It was surrounded by orange groves that bestowed upon its beauty a heavenly fragrance. The British mandate on Palestine was geared to establish a Jewish state in Palestine.This goal was achieved by the fledgling support of the West in 1948. Jaffa became a target of the Zionist militia to expand the settlement of Tel Aviv in the North and Jaffa sadly fell into the hands of the Zionists and more than 95% of its population fled away or was expelled, in May 1948. The Zionist plots are to erase or minimize any Arab influence and marks from Palestine. Jaffa did not escape this conspiracy and was attached to Tel Aviv municipality. Most of the orange groves were destroyed for urban expansion to accommodate more Jewish immigrants. Big parts of the City of Jaffa was demolished or neglected and a small part of the Historic Old Jaffa was renovated and turned into touristic sights and entertainment places.The names of the streets were changed into Jewish names and the original Arabic names were gone. This is a falsification of facts and history. Al-Manshiya Arab suburb, north of Jaffa, was completely demolished. Its Mosque Jamieh Hassan Bek, did not suit the Zionist taste. It is a reminder of its Arab origin. It has to be erased and demolished. The Arab Poulation of the 1948 occupied territories, demonstrated and stopped the demolishing plot. A request by Arab Yaffite builders to renovate the mosque was denied. The Historic sea port, which is the oldest in the World, was closed for merchant shipping in 1965, after the opening of the Sea Port of Ashdod by the Israelis. The Jaffa Port became a small fishing harbor and is now mainly a marina.The Arab fishermen are harassed continually, and are using now a vey small part of the port. The port is now a tourist attraction, with many fish restaurants. Even the historic landmark of the House of Finance building would be demolished because it is illegal, ugly and it is not in the plan for renovation. 70,000 square meters will be defaced and history will be stamped out by the the Zionist colonialist settlers. All these acts of aggression are against our history, culture and heritage.The Situation in Jaffa after occupation in 1948 :
After the occupation of Jaffa in 1948 and the founding of the Zionist State of Israel, Jaffa became home to thousands of new immigrants, many from impoverished countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Poorly educated and with few skills, these immigrants from Yemen, Morocco, Egypt and Iraq have subsequently been joined by thousands of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, struggling to adapt to a new way of life. Today, Jaffa - composed of some 40,000 inhabitants, 22.000 Jews, and 18.000 Arabs (12.000 Moslems and 6.000 Christians), is burdened with the largest concentration of destitute families in Israel, with minimal social support services to provide for their needs. 50 percent of Jaffa residents are dependent on some form of social welfare. 70 percent of Jaffa children drop out of school before completing the 12th grade, and 40 percent drop out before completing the 9th grade. Over 2000 children in Jaffa do not eat a single hot meal a day. Every second household in Jaffa has a drug problem. The rate of AIDS infection in Jaffa is three to four times the Israeli average. The number of single parent households is six times the Israeli average.The number of reported cases of child abuse in Jaffa is eight times the Israeli average. Thus Jaffa, along with the immediately adjacent vicinities of South Tel Aviv and Bat Yam, forms a large blighted area of grinding poverty and destitution in the very center of Israel.
The Picture shows the Al-Ajami Neighborhood in Jaffa in 1963. The Palestinian Arabs were Boxed and Neglected.
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Jaffa Orange
Identification: ICVN 0100538. Family: Rutaceae. Tribe: Citreae. Under-Tribe: Citrinae. Kind type (species): Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck (Classification Tanaka). Cultivar: Shamouti. Synonyms: Ahmer jaffa, Chami, Chamouti, Cyprus Oval, de Jaffa, Florida Jaffa, Iafaoui Beladi, Iaffaoui, Jaffa, Jaffaoui, Palestine Jaffa, Ronde, Rounded Jaffa, Shamouti Beladi, Shamouti Iaffaoui, Yafa, Yafawi, Yaffaoui, Yaffaoui Chamouti. Prospection: This variety is a mutation Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb. 'Beledi'. This variety was prospected in 1844. Place of prospection: Jaffa, Palestine. Jaffa Oranges are similar to the Valencia variety, but have a sweeter flavour. Season : mid-December through mid-February. Jaffa Citrus Homepage: http://www.jaffa.co.il/?l=1252
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