Israeli authorities issue eviction orders to more than 70 Palestinian families in Lod

Eviction Orders Threaten Decades of Palestinian Presence in Lod’s Al-Mahatta Neighbourhood

LOD — More than 70 Palestinian families in the Al-Mahatta neighbourhood of this mixed city east of Tel Aviv have received eviction orders from Israeli authorities, according to Palestinian local sources, with some residents given as little as one week to vacate their homes ahead of planned demolitions. The orders, which were issued in mid-August, have thrown the community into a state of acute uncertainty, reviving memories of displacement that have defined Palestinian life in this city for generations.

The affected families say they have lived in Al-Mahatta since before the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, with some describing their homes as representing nearly a century of family history. Israeli authorities have reportedly justified the measures on the grounds that the properties are built on or occupy what they classify as "state land," a designation that Palestinian residents and legal advocates say has been used repeatedly to facilitate the transfer of Palestinian property to Israeli control.

Residents have rejected the eviction and demolition orders, warning that the measures could lead to their displacement and the transfer of the land for development associated with a project referred to locally as the "Biblical Core." They described the orders as part of broader pressure on Palestinian residents of the neighbourhood to leave their homes and relinquish their land. Israeli authorities had not publicly responded to the residents' allegations or provided further details on the planned demolitions at the time of reporting.

A Community Rooted in Pre-1948 History

Lod, known historically as Lydda, holds a particularly painful place in Palestinian collective memory. During the 1948 Nakba — the catastrophic displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the war that accompanied Israel's establishment — the city witnessed one of the most dramatic episodes of expulsion. In July 1948, Israeli forces captured Lydda and Ramla, and the vast majority of the Palestinian population was forced to leave, many walking for days in the summer heat toward Ramallah and other areas of the West Bank. The events became known as the Lydda Death March, a term used by historians to describe the mass exodus that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.

Today, Palestinian citizens of Israel make up roughly one-fifth of the country's population, and Lod is one of the few mixed cities where a significant Palestinian community remains. The Al-Mahatta neighbourhood, whose name references the old train station area, is home to families who either managed to remain in 1948 or returned in the years that followed under various family reunification arrangements. For these residents, the current eviction orders represent a continuation of a process that began more than seven decades ago — the slow, incremental erosion of Palestinian presence in a city that was once a thriving Arab centre.

The families' assertion that they have lived in the area since before 1948 is significant not only for its historical weight but for what it reveals about the legal vulnerability of Palestinian communities inside Israel. Unlike Jewish citizens, many Palestinian citizens do not hold full property registration for lands they have inhabited for generations, a legacy of the chaotic circumstances of 1948 and the subsequent application of Israeli law that transferred ownership of vast tracts of "absentee" property to state control.

The "State Land" Designation and Its Legal Implications

The legal framework underpinning the eviction orders centres on the classification of the land as "state land," a designation that has been a cornerstone of Israeli land policy since the state's founding. Under Israeli law, land that is not privately registered — or that was classified as belonging to absent owners after 1948 — can be declared state land, placing it under the administration of the Israel Land Authority. For Palestinian citizens, this has often meant that homes built on land their families have cultivated or lived on for generations are deemed illegal constructions on state property, subject to demolition.

Human rights organisations have long criticised the "state land" mechanism as discriminatory, noting that it is applied overwhelmingly to Palestinian communities while Jewish settlements and developments on similar land proceed without comparable restrictions. In the occupied West Bank, the same designation has been used to declare vast areas as state land, facilitating the expansion of Israeli settlements. Inside Israel proper, the mechanism has been used in mixed cities like Lod, Ramle, and Jaffa to challenge Palestinian residency and property rights.

The short deadlines attached to the current orders — in some cases no more than a week — have raised particular concern among residents and legal observers. Such compressed timelines make it extremely difficult for families to mount a legal challenge, gather documentation, or secure representation. The pattern is familiar to Palestinian communities across the country, where demolition orders are often served with minimal notice, leaving families with little recourse but to comply or face the forced removal of their homes.

The "Biblical Core" Project and the Politics of Development

Residents' references to a project known locally as the "Biblical Core" point to a broader development agenda that has been reshaping Lod in recent years. The project, which has been promoted by Israeli municipal and national authorities, aims to develop the city's historical and archaeological sites — many of which are associated with biblical narratives — into a tourism and heritage destination. The initiative has been accompanied by significant investment in infrastructure, commercial development, and the renovation of old buildings, but Palestinian residents have expressed concern that the project is being used to justify the displacement of the city's remaining Palestinian population.

The Al-Mahatta neighbourhood, located near Lod's historic train station, sits in an area that is considered strategically important for the "Biblical Core" development. The proximity of the neighbourhood to key heritage sites has made it a target for redevelopment, and residents say the eviction orders are a clear attempt to clear the land for projects that will primarily benefit Israeli developers and tourists, not the Palestinian families who have called the area home for generations.

This pattern is not unique to Lod. In occupied East Jerusalem, the neighbourhood of Silwan, located just outside the Old City walls, has faced decades of eviction threats and demolitions under similar justifications. The "City of David" archaeological park, which sits beneath Silwan, has been a flashpoint for tensions, with Palestinian families facing legal battles over homes built on land that Israeli authorities claim as state property. The same dynamics — heritage development, archaeological claims, and the displacement of Palestinian residents — are playing out in Lod, albeit on a smaller scale.

Human Impact: Families Facing Displacement

For the families of Al-Mahatta, the eviction orders are not abstract legal documents but a direct threat to their homes, their livelihoods, and their future. Residents describe a community that has endured for generations, with extended families living in adjacent homes, children attending local schools, and a social fabric woven over decades of shared history. The prospect of being forced to leave within a week — with no clear destination, no compensation, and no guarantee of return — has plunged the neighbourhood into a state of fear and uncertainty.

One resident, speaking to local sources on condition of anonymity, described the orders as "a death sentence for our community," noting that the homes in Al-Mahatta are not just structures but repositories of family memory. Another said that the short deadlines made it impossible to even pack belongings properly, let alone find alternative housing in a country where Palestinian citizens already face significant barriers to housing and land access.

The psychological toll of such threats is considerable. Children in the neighbourhood are growing up with the knowledge that their homes could be demolished at any moment. Parents are forced to make impossible calculations about whether to invest in their homes or prepare for the possibility of displacement. The community's sense of belonging — of being rooted in a place that their ancestors called home — is being systematically undermined by the constant threat of eviction.

Broader Context: A Pattern of Displacement

The eviction orders in Lod must be understood within a broader pattern of Palestinian displacement that has continued unabated since 1948. While the mass expulsions of the Nakba are a historical fact, the process of displacement has never stopped. It has taken different forms — from the demolition of homes in the Negev's unrecognised Bedouin villages, to the eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, to the ongoing demolition of homes in the West Bank's Area C. In each case, the mechanisms may differ, but the outcome is the same: Palestinians are being pushed off their land, and their presence is being systematically erased.

In Lod specifically, the Palestinian population has been steadily declining as a proportion of the city's residents. While exact figures were not immediately available, local community leaders have long warned that the combination of eviction orders, demolitions, and the lack of affordable housing for Palestinian families is driving a slow but steady exodus. The "Biblical Core" project, with its focus on tourism and heritage, is seen by many as a vehicle for accelerating this process, transforming Lod from a mixed city into a site of Israeli national heritage where Palestinian presence is at best marginalised and at worst eliminated.

The international community has repeatedly called on Israel to halt demolitions and evictions of Palestinian families, but such calls have had little effect. The United Nations has documented the demolition of thousands of Palestinian structures in the occupied territories, and human rights organisations have consistently characterised such practices as violations of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the destruction of property in occupied territory except where absolutely necessary for military operations. Inside Israel proper, the legal framework is different, but the human cost is no less severe.

Residents Demand a Permanent Solution

The affected families have called for the demolition and eviction orders to be withdrawn and have demanded a permanent solution that protects their right to remain in their homes and safeguards their property. Their demand is simple and just: they want to stay in the homes where they were born, where their parents were born, and where their grandparents are buried. They want their children to grow up in the same neighbourhoods, to attend the same schools, and to inherit the same homes that have been in their families for generations.

Whether the Israeli authorities will respond to these demands remains unclear. At the time of reporting, no official response had been issued, and the families were left to await the next move in what has become a familiar and exhausting legal and bureaucratic battle. The short deadlines attached to the orders suggest that the authorities are moving quickly, and the families may have little time to organise a response.

For the broader Palestinian community in Israel, the events in Lod serve as a stark reminder that the struggle for the right to remain is far from over. The Nakba is not a historical event but an ongoing process, and the eviction orders in Al-Mahatta are its latest manifestation. The families of Lod are not asking for special treatment; they are asking for what is rightfully theirs — the right to live in their homes, on their land, in their homeland. Whether that right will be respected is a question that will be answered in the coming days and weeks, and the answer will have profound implications not only for the families of Al-Mahatta but for the future of Palestinian presence in Israel itself.

By Fatima Al-Rashid, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: Middle East Monitor, Reuters, AP, local Palestinian sources.