Contemporary Haifa: A Shared City

 

By: Johnny Mansour

 

Why should Haifa be a shared city not a coexistence one?

 

In my point of view Haifa holds two components: the original Arab –Levant and the western component, because of its geographical location on the eastern Mediterranean sea shore, next to Europe. Because of that the city, through the years has enclosed several ethnic and religious groups who has been participated for a long periods of time in creating the city among their daily lives.

 

We realize that we can never ignore the fact of 1948 for Haifa and Palestine in general.

Before dealing with 1948, I have to mention the previous period of this year. Through the British mandate a group of Jewish settlers, especially from Europe and as a result of the political and the settlement cooperation between the British government and the Zionist movement. All of the possibilities were arranged to help these settlers conquer part of the Palestinian Lands, also the economical benefits and the key jobs. The main purpose of this cooperation is for establishing an ethnic home(state) for the Jewish people in Palestine.

 

Among this period the Jewish settlers succeeded to build a dependant society far away of the indigenous in Palestine.

This was the situation in Haifa. Both of them lived separately in one city. Separated neighborhoods and separated schools and institutions. No connections. The Arabic Palestinian side continue to live its usual life as his ancestors. However the Jewish society was building its settlement to establish a new state.

 

For conquering the city and building the state they organized the cleansing process. This what happened in 1948.

People who remained in Haifa in 1948 were only 3000 out of 75,000Arabs. They were gathered mostly in one neighborhood. For sure, Haifa’s municipality and the government hasn’t admitted the guilt and harm that was caused to the Palestinians. However, they ignore, and one of the best example is the fake coexistence that they call for.

 

What has happened in Haifa is to undertake for coexistence. This theme is based on forcing the policy of the strongest and the majority to make them feel that nothing has happened on 1948, like it was never been connected to the current society in Haifa.

 

Using the “Coexistence” term is for the public and political propaganda around the world. This is to tell the people around the world    that what has happened has no connection with the reality today, and Israel as a democratic state is behaving with tolerance and opening mind with the people who has stayed on their land.

 

 We believe that the conflict exists, therefore we can never ignore or neglect. It has a great influence on the city life. We may notify the great attachment with the coexistence slogan. On the other hand discrimination is felt day by day in different fields of life.

 

We believe that to get out of conflict circles we need a shared city which is built on a real dialogue, trust and sharing all the human components.

 

 The city institutions should be awaking for a fair distribution in different resources by minimizing the gaps. The first priority is giving the inhabitants the feelings of belonging, sharing and owning everything which is connected to the public space.

 

This idea of a shared city could remove the borders through a cooperative work based on equality, human and social fairness. However, coexistence means the control of the stronger in order to impose upon his terms and schedule. This is to say that cooperative societies can never be set up by itself. But we should work on building it up. Here in the governmental institutions role.

Haifa may become a very good example for making a change toward a shared city. In Haifa we have 10% Arabs who are natives and immigrants from Galilee and the Triangle area. 25% immigrants from pre soviet union, Ethiopia and others.

 

The Israeli war against Lebanon on 2006 has revealed a great lack of shelters and a lack of communication for emergency in the Arabic and poor neighborhoods.

 

This is to add the lack of social services, educational system and housing.

Haifa today can be changed into a strong fair shared city to remove the differences and stopping the discrimination policy.

 

 

 

What may be done?

 

1.          Enhancing consciousness among the people and the institutions to make them believe that the city is for all the people, not for the majority only.

2.          An active, effective sharing based on respect and accepting each other.

3.          To get the benefits of the public space which are distributed in the city and not being located in one area for one category.

4.          Making the Arabic language as an official daily language like Hebrew for all the people. Legally Arabic is an official one but Jews don’t speak it. Part of sharing is communicating. Both of the languages make both of them belong to the shared space, and have the right to think and work for the whole.

 

Why do I really refuse the idea of coexistence or a mixed city?

 

It’s a historical term which is connected with establishing Israel. That the Israeli government revealed that nothing has happened on 1948. Also main Palestinians cities that were attacked intellectually and humanly, still include Arabs that they are really mixed cities, but in a form of two societies living in their own spaces. The public space is in use for Jewish people. This is the term which goes towards segregation between the Palestinian minority and Jewish majority.

 

In Haifa we mean practically, the Arab people are concentrated in their own neighborhoods which is really based on ethnic and national separation. This is also clear socially between the both societies.

 

I believe that the term of the French sociologist Lafaber since the 20^th of the twentieth century of “the right to the city” is a great term to apply, which means rebuilding the social, political and economical relationships which are connected with the city. It could be fulfilled by rebuilding the authority relations net which is considered the base of urban space. This can be true by handing the authority to the people away from the businessmen and politicians.

 

According to the sociologist Lafaber we have two components for the right of the city:

1.          The right to appropriation. It means the citizen’ right in owing public space and creating it according to their interests.

2.          the right of the participation. It’s the right of people to work on central missions, in making a decision for their urban space that suits their needs.

 

The term “the right to the city” calls for a new way of thinking on the political level of citizenship. Its really moving from the “citizenship” definition into “inhabitants” definition for people who have the right to share.

 

Sharing means the right of freedom, construction, living, creating arts and properties.

 

Could this term be applies in Haifa? Or will this city continue to pretend for ever as a coexistent city? While in fact the fractions of Arabs in the city continue to be threatened under the term of existence.

 

I have presented my point of view not to convince you of the current situation or to plan for the future, but to get into another corner, and this is the right of sharing… isn’t it?!