in 1951, the villagers instituted proceedings against the military government in the high court of israel. the court ruled that the declaration of the village as a closed area had been improperly instituted, and in consequence "the military governor had no authority to evict the petitioners [from the village] and he has no authority to prevent them from entering or leaving it or from residing there." the military government responded by sealing the village, and two days later again declared it to be a closed military area. the villagers appealed to the high court again, but the court ruled that the new declaration was legal and in consequence villagers who had not managed to return to the village before that declaration (which in practice was all of them) were forbidden to go there without permission. the village thus remained deserted. its lands were officially expropriated and in 1955 its houses were demolished leaving only the large mosque. later attempts of the villagers to return to the village were not successful. the villagers set up a committee whose principal activity was to renovate the village cemetery and mosque, and in july 1972 the committee wrote to the prime minister: