Jaffa May Become The Next Sheikh Jarrah As Palestinians Are Pushed Out
Located near the Mediterranean shore, the historic Ajami neighborhood in Jaffa has become a battleground between the Israel Lands Authority (ILA) and the area’s veteran Palestinian residents. About 1,400 families have been served eviction orders from Amidar, a public housing company which in the past has said it’s simply doing ILA’s bidding. Amidar did not respond to Mondoweiss’ requests for comment for this article.
About 120,000 Palestinians lived in Jaffa before the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948. Yet prior to and during the state’s founding, Palestinians fled or were expelled by Zionist paramilitary forces from the port town in what is now known as the Nakba (or catastrophe in Arabic). Roughly 3,200 Palestinians remain in Jaffa today as a result.