 Welcome to Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel, a city of history, religion and culture, and the city where I grew up. But did you know that before the establishment of the modern state of Israel, during the British Manila in Israel, Nazareth was supposed to be part of the Arab state of Palestine? Let's go back. In November 1947, the UN announced a partition plan to establish two states in the state of Israel. The Jewish state, Israel, and an Arab state, Palestine. This was a compromise proposed by the UN after multiple waves of Jewish and Arab emigration over the past decades, leading to increased tensions between the two peoples who both have lived in the land for centuries. According to the partition plan, Nazareth was supposed to be a Palestinian city like many other areas in the Galilee and throughout the country. While in Israel they accepted the plan and celebrated, despite the Jewish state proposal being much smaller and without natural resources, the Arab leadership rejected the plan and immediately broke out in a violent riots. Those riots were intensified by the War of Independence in which multiple Arab nations invaded the newly declared Israel. So, how did Nazareth become Israel? The Israeli forces fought against Arab militias and armies and although they were a smaller force, they managed to hold them off in a historic success. And the territory in the end of the world included some areas like this, which were proposed in the partition plan to Palestine. Nazareth was unusual because while militias, like the Arab Liberation Army, had been fighting against Jewish forces, it was the Muslim Mayor Yusuf Fahum who called to end the fight against Israel in Operation Dekil in order to prevent the destruction of the city. This call was backed up by an agreement with Israeli forces to protect the Arab civilian population and was signed by the Israeli Operation Commander Ben Dunkelman. But Dunkelman received orders to forcibly evacuate the town shortly after. Instead of following orders, Dunkelman refused to carry out the command, protecting the people of Nazareth and respecting the initial agreement. Dunkelman paid a high price and was relieved of his position by the army. But before he left, he received a promise from Israel's first Prime Minister, David Binguion himself, to protect the people of Nazareth. When the war was over, every person in Nazareth was granted Israeli citizenship with equal rights regardless of religion. It hasn't always been easy and inequalities still exist in practice. But every day there are Jews and Arabs working to make Nazareth and all of Israel a better place for both peoples.