A judge struck down Israeli plans to develop Lifta, an abandoned Arab village on Jerusalem’s northwestern outskirts. Haaretz reports:
The appellants had claimed the plan would deprive the former residents – some of whom are still living in East Jerusalem – of their rights to properties they left behind when fleeing the area in 1948.
Mersel, however, did not address this claim. He canceled the tender on a technicality, saying changes made to it by the Israel Lands Administration were substantial enough to require its reissuance.
It’s worth recalling that the last time Lifta was in the news, The Guardian claimed its farmland included areas where the Knesset, Supreme Court, Hebrew University and central bus station now stand. We explained why this wasn’t possible and called out reporter Harriet Sherwood’s LiftaLand fact checking.
No correction was made; if Sherwood and her sources feel bold enough, will updated coverage have us believe Kiryat Shemona’s built on Lifta farmland too?
(Image via Flickr/RonAlmog)
© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
