Capture of Haifa in 1948
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Haifa was one of the primary objectives of Plan Dalet in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The operation was named Operation Misparayim which is a Hebrew word that means "scissors". It was captured by the Carmeli Brigade and Irgun April 20-21, 1948.
[edit] Background
The city of Haifa, on the Mediterranean coast at the northwestern edge of the Sharon plain, was among the most strategic locations in Palestine. Under the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, it was within the area allocated to a Jewish state. Haifa was the country's largest port, and had an oil refinery and oil terminal and pipeline. The port of Haifa made it possible for the Jews to receive supplies and armaments before and during the war. The Zionist leadership considered it vital for the new state of Israel, and a top priority for liberation in the War of Independence.
At the time, Haifa had a population of 146,000, roughly evenly split between Jews and Arabs. The Arab portion of the population had, since 1947, constantly dwindled and by April 1948, only half of the previous Arab population remained. Jews were by then living in most parts of the new city, especially in Hadar HaCarmel and Neve Sha'anan; and Arabs in the two Arab quarters, Halisa and Wadi Nisnas.
In preparation for the total evacuation of all forces from the mandate on 14 May, the British begun to remove their troops from Haifa in April. The British had previously controlled the city and maintained a buffer between the Jewish and Arab populations. Their withdrawal paved the way for a Jewish takeover of the city.
On 18 April 1948, Hugh C. Stockwell, British commander in Haifa, summoned Harry Beilin, the Jewish Agency liaison officer, to his headquarters. Stockwell informed Beilin of his intention to immediately evacuate the British forces from the borders and no-man's-land zones in Haifa and that the evacuation would be completed on 20 April. Haganah, the Jewish paramilitary force, saw this as a promise that the British would not interfere in their takeover of the city. This was further reinforced by news from Tiberias, where similar fighting and the capture of the city by the Haganah was unopposed by the British.
[edit] The battle
After the UN resolution to partition Palestine, the Jewish neighborhoods of Haifa were under constant attacks by Arab snipers. The neighborhoods of Hadar suffered major shelling from the Arab neighborhood of Halisa. Further attacks were carried on from the Arab villages on the shore of the Mediterranean, blocking transportation between the Jewish neighborhoods of Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Through Christian intermediaries, Haganah proposed a cease-fire to the Arab leadership in Haifa. The Arabs declined, having been advised by the Arab military command in Akko that there was a large Arab force south of Haifa, near Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, planning to attack. The military command also advised Arabs in Haifa to evacuate to Akko by sea. The harbour soon filled with Arabs fleeing the city.
At 10:30 in the morning of April 21, 5,000 fighters from the Lehi and the Carmeli Brigade participated in the offensive that started from the Jewish neighbourhood Hadar HaCarmel and began shelling the Arab Muslim neighborhhod of Halisa. The 3,500-5,000 Arab irregulars and elements of the Arab Liberation Army could not mount a real defense. Furthermore, the 3,000 defenders of Al-Tira who tried to reinforce the city were intercepted by the British. The next day the Arab National Committee of Haifa were prepared to ask for a truce via Stockwell. Stockwell agreed to meet with the Israelis, and returned 15 minutes later; however, the terms proposed by the Haganah -- complete disarmament, surrender of weapons, and a curfew -- were not accepted by the Arab leadership.
That afternoon, a meeting was held in the town hall to discuss terms of the truce. Due to pressure by the Arab military command, the Arab delegation declared their inability to endorse the proposed truce and requested protection for the evacuation of Haifa's Arab citizens. The request came as a surprise, as the Haganah leaders urged most Arabs to stay, but was granted.
The next day, April 23, the Arab leadership met with Stockwell to discuss the organization of the evacuation, despite the efforts of some Jewish civil leaders to block the flight. Most Muslims left the city and moved to Arab villages in the Galilee; however most Christians remained in Haifa, and still live there today.
[edit] Aftermath
After a few days, only about 10,000 of Haifa's Arab residents remained. 20,000 Arabs fled. A further 20,000 became refugees in Lebanon and Jordan.[dubious ][citation needed]
