West Bank Story: Saving Lifta

The first time I visited this village, I was struck by its beauty.

An abandoned village on the edge of Jerusalem, as a result of the ethnic cleansing that accompanied the building of the State of Israel in 1948.

Now 63 years have passed by, Lifta has evaded total erasure that has happened in so many places in the country because it is set within a valley and is virtually cut off and sunk beneath the surrounding new establishments.

To this day, Lifta bears witness to the history of this land before 1948. This was the place where once Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in harmony. This was the place where the Arab villagers once took the displaced Jews from foreign lands in, even unto sharing the same house!

However, now comes Plan 6036. The Israeli Government has approved plan to transform this Palestinian village into a commercial edifice under the name “Mei Naftoah”. The redevelopment plan will erase any memory of the village, replacing it with a commercial centre with shops, hotels, bus stations and 212 luxury apartments.

Yes, redevelopment projects happen everywhere. But can Lifta be spared?

There have been protests that take place here every fortnightly. Anil Korotane, an activist architect and director of Belonging proposes that Lifta be conserved as a “Site of Conscience” that will allow people here to confront and reconcile the differences in their narratives of histories. Through exploring the realities of the conflict here, Lifta and demonstrate a place that promote healing, pluralism, and inclusiveness.

In Israel there are numerous places that commemorate the darker side of the Jewish history (e.g. the Holocaust and the displacement of Arab Jews in the North African and Middle East region). Can Israel also allow a place that can bear witness to a more harmonious heritage of this land? The narratives of displacement of both the Jews and Arabs, shared together at Lifta, can allow for healing and conciliation—for people groups to reach beyond rivalry towards brothers living in peace.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!