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. For the Lebanese singer, see Haifa Wehbe Haifa (Hebrew חֵיפָה Ḥefa, Ḥeyfa; Arabic حَيْفَا Ḥayfā) is the third-largest city in Israel, with a population close to 300,000. ... Plan Dalet, or Plan D, (in Hebrew, dalet is the fourth letter, similar to d in English), was a plan that the Haganah in Palestine worked out during autumn 1947 to spring 1948. ... // The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, called the War of Independence (Hebrew: מלחמת העצמאות) by Israelis and al Nakba (Arabic: النكبة, the catastrophe) by Arabs, was the first in a series of wars in the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by 6 million people mainly in Israel, parts of the Palestinian territories, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ... The Barak Armored Brigade is today an Israeli tank brigade and one of the regular armored brigades of the Northern Command. ... Irgun poster showing their view of the Land of Israel Irgun (ארגון), shorthand for Irgun Tsvai Leumi (ארגון צבאי לאומי, also spelled Irgun Zvai Leumi), Hebrew for National Military Organization, was a militant Zionist group that operated in the British Mandate of Palestine from 1931 to 1948. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Background

The city of Haifa at the northern edge of the Sharon Plain resided well within the part of Palestine that the 1947 UN Partition plan had alloted to a Jewish state. It was one of the most important cities in Palestine at the time and the Zionist leadership considered it of uttermost importance that it was seized in the initial phase of the conflict. It had an oil refinery and Palestine's largest port. Through that city, the Jews received most of their foreign armaments and supplies before and during the war. At the time, Haifa had a population of 146,000 roughly evenly split between Jews and Arabs (the Arab part of the population had since 1947 constantly dwindled and in April 1948, only half of the previous Arab population remained), with the Jews living in the Jewish quarter, Hadar Hacarmel, and the Arabs in the Arab quarter. In preparation for the total evacuation of all forces from the mandate on May 14, 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. Palestine (Latin: Syria Palæstina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina, ארץ־ישראל Eretz Yisrael; Arabic: فلسطين Filasṭīn) is the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the banks of the Jordan River, plus various adjoining lands to the east. ... Map showing the UN Partition Plan. ... The word Jew (Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity; and often a combination of these attributes. ... For other meanings, please see Zionism (disambiguation) Zionism is a Jewish political movement, developed in response to 19th century anti-Semitism, which maintains that the Jewish people are entitled to a national homeland in Palestine, the location of the ancient Kingdom of Israel. ... Hadar Hacarmel is an area in the city of Haifa in Israel. ...

April 18, 1948 Hugh C. Stockwell, British commander in Haifa, summoned Harry Beilin, the Jewish Agency liaison officer to his headquarter. Stockwell informed Beilin 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 April 20. Haganah saw this as a promise that the British would not interfere in their takeover of the city. That thought was further reinforced by the fact that the fightning in Tiberias and the depopulation of Arabs there had not been interrupted by the British. April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... The Haganah (Hebrew: Defense, ×”×’× ×”) was a Jewish paramilitary organization in Palestine during the British mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948. ... Tiberias in 1862, the ruins reminiscent of its ancient heritage. ...

The battle

Since 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. Farther attacks were carried on by the Arab villages on the shore of the Mediterranean, blocking transportation between the Jewish neighborhoods of Haifa and Tel Aviv. The Hagan leaders approached the Arab leaders of the city through notable Christian leaders in the city with suggestions to seize fire, however the Arab leaders in the city, contacted the Arab military command in Acco, who informed them of large Arab forces south of the city, near Kibutz Mishmar Haemek, which are about to attack the Jewish neighborhoods of the city, and suggested that while the attack takes place, most Arabs citizens should vacate to Acco by sea. The harbour soon filled with Arabs fleeing the city. Akko (Hebrew עכו; Arabic عكّا ʿAkkā; also, Acre, Accho, Acco, and St. ...

On 10:30 April 21 5,000 fighters from the Lehi (group) and the Carmeli Brigade participated in the offensive that started from the Jewish neighbourhood Hadara Ha Carmel 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. He complied and returned 15 minutes later, but the truce terms he brought with him from the Haganah were not readily acceptable to the Arab side. The conditions were: disarmament of the Arab completely and handing in all their weapons within three hours and curfew. April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... Avraham Stern Lehi (Hebrew acronym for Lohamei Herut Israel, Fighters for the Freedom of Israel) was a radical self-described terrorist group that had as its goal the eviction of the British from Palestine to allow unrestricted immigration of Jews and the formation of a Jewish state. ... The Barak Armored Brigade is today an Israeli tank brigade and one of the regular armored brigades of the Northern Command. ... Arab Liberation Army was an army of volunteers from Arab countries that fought on the Palestinian side in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. ...

In the afternoon a meeting was held in the town hall to discuss the terms of the truce. Due to presure by the arab military command in Acco, the Arab delegation declared their inability to endorse the proposed truce agreement and requested protection for the evacuation of Haifa's Arab citizens. The request came as a surprise, as the Hagana 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 muslems left the city, however most christians remained in the city, and still live there today. April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ...

Aftermath

After a few days only about 3,000 of Haifa's Arab residents remained. The rest, 40,000-50,000, became refugees. Some arrived on boats in Lebanon; others took the landway to Acre, where they were again uprooted by Jewish troops a few weeks later. For the Zionists, the capture of Haifa was a great success as it was the first Arab city to fall. Stockwell's behaviour in Haifa was not viewed with favor by the British government in London; Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin reprimanded the army authorities in Palestine. An acre is an English unit of area. ... The Rt Hon Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 - 14 April 1951), British labour leader and politician, was born in a small village in Somerset, England. ...

External links

• Were the Palestinians Expelled? (pro-Israel)
• Haifa (pro-Arab)