Israel and the Palestinian Territories/Introductory Scene

Haifa, 1948.

''Amidst the battles between Arab Liberation Army and Haganah and report of a massacre taking place, more and more Arab inhabitants were fleeing towards the coast. By 22nd April, Haganah had clearly captured Haifa, and a truce was proposed, which requested disarmament of all Arabs, expulsion of foreign Arab fighters and Nazis, and free movement of traffic in Haifa. Arab leaders declared that they could not accept the Haganah’s truce terms, and they asked for evacuating the residents. All but 3000 Arabs, include most notables, had fled the city within a week.''

''Today, the descendants of the 3000 Arabs who remained in the city, alongside IDPs from nearby areas and many recent arrivals, still live in various neighbourhoods of Haifa as full citizens of Israel, while the majority of the descendants of  those evacuated residents of Haifa have continued to live in refugee camps. The issue of Palestinian refugees would continue to haunt the three entities that emerged from the ruins of Mandatory Palestine(Israel, Jordan and Palestinian Authority).''