al-Lawz, Khirbat

The village is located 11 kilometers from Jerusalem. It was situated south of a mountain peak overlooking a wide area to the south, east, and west. Its inhabitants, who were Muslims, prayed in the village mosque and also had a shrine dedicated to a religious figure, Sheikh Salama. Their lands were cultivated with vineyards, olive trees, almond trees, and others. In July 1948, as part of Operation Dani, the Harel Brigade of the Israeli army was assigned the task of occupying certain villages to expand the corridor leading to Jerusalem, which was under Israeli control. Khirbat al-Lawz was occupied on July 13-14, along with a number of neighboring villages. Many refugees who remained in the area or attempted to return were forced to leave. It is noted that one of the Harel Brigade units intercepted dozens of refugees heading west in November 1948 and confiscated their livestock. There are no settlements on the village lands. Among the stone rubble, wild herbs grow alongside almond and fig trees. A dense forest of cypress trees was planted around the village site, established in memory of the Israeli General Moshe Dayan.