in 1950, tawfik toubi, an arab member of the knesset, raised the issue of the internally displaced refugees of al-birwa in the knesset, demanding that they be allowed to return to their homes. prime minister david ben-gurion replied in the negative, stating, "the questioner presented the facts inaccurately. birwa is an abandoned village which was destroyed in the fighting. its inhabitants cooperated with kaukji's gangs. the israel defense forces and the government did not treat them as they deserved, but permitted them to remain in villages near birwa, and to become residents of israel. the government of israel treats them as it does the other residents of israel and those lacking means of subsistence. a special body was established to deal with these refugees, to resettle and rehabilitate them, not necessarily in their former villages, and the resettlement of the refugees in nazareth has already begun." in december 1951, the village site was declared a closed military zone.