Overview
- Mayor Yona Yahav announced at the Indian soldiers’ cemetery that Haifa is updating school history books to state Indians, not the British, liberated the city from Ottoman rule.
- The revision centers on the Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur Lancers, whose September 23, 1918 cavalry charge on Mount Carmel cleared Ottoman defenses.
- Contemporary records cited at the ceremony note the Jodhpur Lancers suffered eight killed and 34 wounded while capturing over 700 prisoners, 17 field guns and 11 machine guns.
- Haifa Day is observed on September 23 by the Indian Army, with yearly memorial events in the city organized by the Indian mission and the municipality.
- Commemoration spans memorials in Haifa, Jerusalem and Ramle where about 900 Indian soldiers are interred, alongside initiatives such as the India Trail and recognitions including PM Narendra Modi’s 2017 plaque unveiling and Israel’s 2018 stamp.