Israel, which takes the world's breath away, is a unique nation in many ways. Surrounded by Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, this South-West Asian country is very small in population and area, but unmatched in strength-firmness-heroism. That is why it has a unique place and respect in global history and politics. For this reason it catches the eye of many. Historically, this is the birthplace of the Jews, but it took a lot of fighting, heads and blood to get there. With a population of less than one crore, this country does not care about anyone. His only mantra for enemies: Marenge, Garhaga Marenge Aur Ghar Mein Ghooskar Marenge. A memorable chapter of India with Israel, the master of steely morale and grit, is fondly remembered. Let's take a look at the Battle of Haifa in 1918, in which Indians played a major role. Haifa is the third largest city in Israel (after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv). The place is known for the Baha'i World Center and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, this place has a glorious history of three thousand years. Haifa is the third international port of the country known as Sea Port. The utility and strategic importance of the port of Haifa has led to many battles for its possession. Let's know a little about the battle of 23 September 1918. India's involvement in the Battle for Haifa in World War I was as part of the British Army: the war pitted two main sides—the British Indian Army against the Ottoman Empire and its German allies. A few Indian regiments – the Jodhpur Lancers and the Mysore Lancers – were involved in the battle, giving the British a one-sided victory and capturing the port of Haifa. Many souvenirs of this victory have been preserved even today by the erstwhile royals of Mysore. In fact the Mysore Lancers were the personal, private army of Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar of Mysore, led by his brother-in-law J. Devaraj was possessed by Urs. The Maharaja gave his army of 700 soldiers to support the British and Rs. 50 lakhs help too… Before the end of World War I, a surprise battle broke out on October 25, 1918 at Alleppey in present-day Syria, in which 13 soldiers of the Mysore Lancers, including Lingaraj Urs, were martyred. His funeral took place in Basra, Iraq. Even today, his name can be read in the Tin Murthy Memorial in New Delhi and the World War One Memorial in Bangalore. Apart from Rizkalla Salim's sword, Lingaraj's personal belongings and empty cannon shells used in the battle have been preserved in this historical museum. Today's generation is understandably unaware of the First World War, the Suez Canal or the Battle of Haifa, but is an invaluable treasure for those interested in history. And we didn't know that Haifa Day is celebrated every year on September 23rd, right?
Online-offline I believe Israel's security is paramount. – Barack Obama (Former US President)
A country has been built where there was a desert: Netanyahu echoes the mood of war-torn Israel in a speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: 'We were brought here to kill 75 years ago. We neither had a country nor an army. Seven countries had waged war against us. We were only 65 thousand then. No one came to save us. The attacks on us kept on happening. Countries like Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Libya and Saudi Arabia showed no mercy to us. 65 percent of the land given to us by the United Nations was desert. That is what we considered our country. We survived Firzoun (emperor of Egypt). Survived from Yunnan (Greece). Survived the Romans, Spain and Hitler. We survived Arab countries and Saddam Hussein. Survived by treachery. … And we'll survive Hamal, we'll survive Hezbollah, and we'll survive Iran. Our Jerusalem was attacked fifty-two times, but we never forgot our Jerusalem. It's in our hearts, it's in our heads, and Jerusalem will be our soul as long as we live. … Let the world remember that those who wanted to destroy us are no more today. Those people (Islamists) want to destroy us. Despite the slaughter of millions of Jews in 1300 years, we have survived. 75 years ago those people used to spit on us, insult us, beat us. That was our destiny, but we clung to ourselves, to our importance and to our faith. Today we have our own country, our own army. There is a small economy. In this period we created Intel, Microsoft, IBM, Facebook. We turned the desert into greenery. We are no one's enemy. We have not taken an oath to exterminate anyone. We want to live, only with honor, in our own country, on our soil and in our home…'
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
