In a major tribute to the deceased Indian soldiers and as a symbol of the incredible saga and velour of the Indian men who liberated the city of Haifa in Israel from the Ottoman rule in 1918, the textbooks of Israel is said to carry the courageous deeds of the Indian soldiers. This is deemed as a major rectification of the false claim that says British soldiers ousted the Ottoman Empire from Haifa.
On September 29, Mayor of the Haifa city, Yona Yahav paid tribute to the fallen Indian soldiers and exclaimed that the textbooks in the school are being corrected to publish the fact that it was Indian soldiers who liberated Haifa from Ottomans and not the British soldiers. The students are often being misled with false claims and every time a researcher from the Historical Society should rectify the lie and has to unleash the truth. In this direction, major correction is being done in the school textbooks.
“I was born in this city and graduated from here. Constantly we were told that this city was freed by the British till somebody from the Historical Society knocked at my door one day and said that they have done a thorough research and found that it wasn’t the British but the Indians who freed this city (from the Ottomans),” said Mayor of Haifa, Yona Yahav, while addressing the gathering at the Indian Cemetery of fallen soldiers. “In every school, we are changing the texts and saying that it wasn’t the British but the Indians who liberated us,” Yahav further reiterated.
Indian Army too commemorates Haifa Day on September 23, every year to pay tribute to the exceptional bravery and courage of the Indian soldiers who took part in the war and defeated the Ottoman. Indian Diplomatic Mission in Israel and the Haifa municipality as well organizes the event every year. Captain Aman Singh Bahadur and Dafadar Jor Singh were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (IOM) and Captain Anop Singh and 2nd Lt Sagat Singh were awarded the Military Cross (MC) in recognition of their bravery in the Haifa battle, during the commemoratory event.
During the event, Indian Ambassador to Israel JP Singh reiterated that it was one of the last cavalry actions at a massive-scale where a fortified town was captured by the cavalry and the Ottoman rulers were defeated. About 900 Indian soldiers who participated in the war are laid to rest in Israel and memorials to Indian soldiers are present at Haifa, Jerusalem and Ramle provinces in Israel.
As a tribute to the bravery of the Indian soldiers in Haifa war, Indian Embassy in Israel, is also setting up “The India Trial”. Meanwhile, to commemorate the historic India-Israel friendship, Teen Murti Chowk in New Delhi was renamed as “Teen Murti Haifa Chowk” in 2018, during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India. In 2017, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the historical city of Haifa, he unveiled a plaque commemorating Major Dalpat Singh. Even the Postal Department of Israel has released a commemorative stamp appreciating and acknowledging the role of Indian soldiers in liberating the city of Haifa.
Battle of Haifa and the saga of Indian soldiers
Battle of Haifa is a part of the First World War fought between the Allied and the Axis forces from 1914 to 1918. Historians describe it as one of the fiercest and incredible chapters from World War 1. India being under the British colonial rule and the latter being an Allied power in the war, took the regiments of the Indian Princely states to the war in order to defeat the Ottomans in Haifa, who were the Axis Powers.
Apparently, the cavalry from the Princely states of Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur participated in the Battle of Haifa to oust the Ottoman Empire from the Haifa city, a coastal town in the Mediterranean coastline, which was of strategic importance for the Allied Powers. The saga of the Indian 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade that captured the town of Haifa, still today stands as a testament to the historical and enduring India-Israel strategic partnership.
As Indian soldiers fought as an integral part of the colonial British Army, it is said that the British soldiers liberated the city of Haifa. However, the latest correction and the long due credit given to the Indian soldiers by the Israeli authority is indeed a true tribute to the sacrifice of the soldiers and a symbol of India-Israel friendship.
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