Skip to main content

Rifaat Turk on Jaffa's Decline As a Bi-National City

From a vibrant bi-national city into gated developments for rich Jews, Rifaat Turk tells Shlomi Eldar all about the recent changes in Jaffa.  
The port of Jaffa is seen in the background as Palestinians enjoy themselves at a beach in Tel Aviv during Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan August 20, 2012. A spokesperson for The Israeli Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories' (COGAT) said that improved security had allowed for the entry of over 1 million Palestinians from the occupied West Bank since the beginning of Ramadan. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR36ZT5
Read in 

"Now that we can put soccer aside, let me show you around Jaffa," says Rifaat Turk as we finish the interview that took place at the Babai restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean. In the first part of the interview, Turk recounted his vast experience on the pitch, particularly his struggle against racism by fans. Not only is Turk the first Arab soccer superstar in Israel but he is also a man with deep political and social involvement and has served on the Tel-Aviv Jaffa City Council. In recent years he has participated in sports education programs in Jaffa's tougher neighborhoods, where kids grow up in conditions similar to the ones in which he was raised, though he was able to get out.

We take his car for a drive through his bi-national hometown that is slowly transforming right before his eyes. Its houses are being increasingly populated by Jews who push Arabs out. They build luxury developments that only Jews can afford (such as Andromeda Hill) and that remain out of reach for the Arab population. 

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.