‘Indian Troops Liberated Haifa, Not British’: Israeli City To Revise School History Books

Last Updated:September 30, 2025, 23:05 IST

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav confirmed the correction at a ceremony on Monday, honouring Indian soldiers who fought in the 1918 Battle of Haifa

This picture shows a view of Israel’s northern city of Haifa, Israel. (AFP file photo)

The Israeli city of Haifa has announced it will revise its school history books to correctly credit Indian troops, not the British, for liberating the city from Ottoman rule during World War I.

This correction was confirmed by Haifa’s Mayor, Yona Yahav, during a ceremony on Monday at the Indian soldiers’ cemetery, where tributes were paid to the brave Indian soldiers who fought in the Battle of Haifa in 1918.

Mayor Yahav said, “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).”

He added that the city is now updating its school textbooks to reflect this fact. “In every school, we are changing the texts and saying that it wasn’t the British but the Indians who liberated us.”

During the First World War, Indian cavalry regiments bravely charged the Ottoman forces and helped liberate Haifa in what is known as one of the last great cavalry campaigns in history. Three Indian regiments—the Mysore, Hyderabad, and Jodhpur Lancers—played a key role in this victory.

Every year on September 23, known as Haifa Day, the Indian Army remembers the soldiers who fought and died in this battle. The Indian mission in Israel and Haifa municipality hold memorial events at the Indian cemetery to honour these fallen heroes.

India’s Ambassador to Israel, JP Singh, described the battle as “almost the only occasion when a fortified town was captured by cavalry on the gallop.” He also noted that over 74,000 Indian soldiers lost their lives in World War I, including more than 4,000 in West Asia.

“These fallen soldiers represented all major faiths and regions of our country. And this tribute shows that their courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Singh added.

Memorials for these soldiers exist not only in Haifa but also in Jerusalem and Ramle.

In January 2018, during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Delhi, India had renamed the “Teen Murti Chowk” as “Teen Murti Haifa Chowk” to honour Indian soldiers who liberated Haifa.

In 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Indian cemetery in Haifa to pay tribute to their sacrifice.

(With inputs from PTI)

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