Toys buried under a palm tree in Jaffa

Toys buried under a palm tree in Jaffa
Michel Hanna Haj (born 1936 in Jaffa) is a Palestinian author and political analyst living in Amman, Jordan. Michel was 11 years old in 1948, when he had to leave his native town of Jaffa, along with his parents, sisters and brother.
His parents had to make the tough decision of leaving everything behind and saving their family from the Irgun and Haganah Jewish paramilitary group mortars that were hitting the city. It was indeed not an easy decision to make, as they did not know how the situation would develop and if they would ever be able to return to their home. Michel still recalls his house in the Ajami neighborhood of the city, in the south of the Old City and Port of Jaffa, where the streets were positioned parallel to the coast - with small stairway-alleys leading down to the shore. He recalls his neighborhood, the narrow streets, and the houses that were built from limestone, surrounded by large courtyards. When leaving, his family could only take the strict minimum, and he remembers how he buried his toys under a palm tree that stood in the middle of their small garden, thinking that they would be safe there for when he would return. But April 1948 was the last time Michel saw his city - his limestone house which had a climbing Jasmin tree at the entrance, and its’ gloriously scented white starry flowers that filled the air with their sweet fragrance, the “College des Freres” School in Ajami street, where he sat alongside his Palestinian friends. Al-Nakba weighs heavy on his heart. He will never dig out his precious toys from under the tree, though the toys will remain forever buried in his paternal house in Palestine, yet the memories of his city and his life in Jaffa as a little boy will never leave him. By the end of the war, it is estimated that over 90% of Jaffa s Palestinians were expelled´-or-fled. Hence, Michel’s family started a new life in Amman, Jordan, where he still lives today.
It was in 1957 when Michel got married and began his professional career in the media. He contributed to the production of numerous news stories and programs, working with major Arab television networks such as a MBC, Dubai and Abu Dhabi TV, in addition to several global networks such as BBC, CBS, CNN ….. Later in his career, as the Regional --dir--ector of the Middle East with World Wide Television News (WTN), He covered all the major events and wars in the Middle East: the Indo Pakistani war of 1965, the Six-Day war in 1967, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979, the Iran-Iraq war in 1980, the Lebanese war in 1982 and the massacres of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, the Gulf War in 1991…..
In 1971, when Michel signed a contract with CBS Television network, he moved to Beirut together with his wife and children. Alongside his work, Michel decided to pursue his studies and attended the Beirut Arab University, where he earned a degree in Bachelor of Law in 1974.
But in 1975 Michel the civil war broke out in Beirut--;-- it felt like a deja-vu for Michel- he was transported into the memories of his childhood – his house and his homeland…mortars and rocket…..Michel’s house in Beirut, located in the Christian Badaro neighborhood, was caught precisely along the Green Line. In 1976 a rocket hit the bedroom of one of his daughters, which prompted him to move back to Amman where his family would be safe – just like his father had taken his family to safety in Jordan 28 years before.
Along the years, Michel wrote several novels in Arabic: such as "Immortal Maysaloon" and "The man who found his soul mate" which was translated into German and Russian languages--;-- and a collection of short stories titled: "Crazy love death", published in 1955.
After his long career of 55 years in the media, Michel retired in 2013, and decided to engage in writing a series of analytical political articles and books on the events in the Middle East, the Arab Spring, Al-Qaeda and Daesh…. Providing an in-depth political analysis on the Middle East.
Using his valuable years of experience in the region, along with his political insight and great ability to analyze intricate political and strategic affairs of the Middle East, he published several books in Arabic titled: Daesh ... between sectarianism and obscurantism, and "The Plot: A War to Annihilate Daesh´-or-to Annihilate Al-Qaeda", both published in 2015, and "The New Middle-East - Politics and Strategies", published in 2016.
As a respected and knowledgeable author and specialist of Middle Eastern affairs, Michel continues to write analytical articles on the Middle East and is regularly invited by television networks such as The RT (Russia Today Television Network), Al Tagheer TV, Sky News Arabia, Albabelyia TV, Al Ekhbariya TV……..to provide his analytical views on the current Middle Eastern affairs.
Though the toys Michel buried in his paternal house in Palestine will remain there forever, yet the memories of his city and his life in Jaffa as a little boy have never left him. His house and land were taken away from him, yet no one can ever take away the sweet memories of his fatherland that will stay in his heart and mind forever.

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