The ‘peaceful coexistence’ of my city of Jaffa is falling apart in front of my eyes | Asaf Ronel

This ancient city has been turned into a battleground, and the Israeli police are doing nothing to ease tensions

Jaffa is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was the metropolis of Palestine, until it was conquered by Israel in 1948 - most of its Palestinian population then became refugees, and the city was absorbed into Tel Aviv one year later.

For decades the city was simply seen as the backyard of Tel Aviv. But in recent years, Israeli Jews like me started discovering its charms, and a process of gentrification began pushing poor Palestinians out of the city. This process creates many tensions, and is enabled by the fact that most Israeli Jews see Jaffa as a haven of coexistence, where they can eat hummus and other Palestinian foods in peace.