Yafa Kufiya

Once the epicentre of the Palestinian economy, the people of Yafa built their city on one major trade, citrus groves, and in particular, the world renowned Yafa Orange. By the 1930s, Yafa was exporting tens of millions of citrus crates to the rest of the world, earning the city an important place in the global economy. With its success, the city proliferated with new businesses; from banks and shipping firms, to numerous factories producing glass, metal, textiles, sweets and more.

However, with the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel, Zionist military forces forcibly displaced 95% of Yafa’s indigenous Arab Palestinian population. In an instant, the people of Yafa lost everything their city, their families, their homes, and their entire way of life. Today, approximately 700,000 Palestinian refugees trace their roots to Yafa, making up about one-tenth of the overall Palestinian refugee population.

Yafa’s ongoing Nakba is a story of transformation from a thriving modern urban center to a marginalized population facing poverty, discrimination, gentrification, crime, and the demolition of their homes. From the mass expulsion of 1948 to the present day, the people of Yafa continue to endure the legacy of their dispossession.