in the 1970s, villagers from iqrit conducted a series of sit-ins in the town's former church over a period of six years, and the case of iqrit (and of kafr bir'im) was frequently covered by the israeli media. several prominent israeli cultural and artistic figures supported the movement to repatriate the iqrit villagers and public empathy for their plight was widespread. while the israeli authorities recognized the right to return of the villagers in principle, officials resisted implementing this right. said golda meir in 1972: it is not only consideration of security [that prevent] an official decision regarding bi'rim and iqrit, but the desire to avoid [setting] a precedent. we cannot allow ourselves to become more and more entangled and to reach a point from which we are unable to extricate ourselves." meron benvenisti notes how it has been argued that the villagers of iqrit and bi'rim are not the only present-absentees in israel, and therefore recognizing their right of return is perceived as setting a "dangerous precedent" that would be followed by other similar demands. however, benvenisti himself has argued that it could be a positive precedent if the iqrit villagers were to be allocated the small amount of empty land they need to establish a community settlement on their own land.