The majority of the inhabitants were prevented from returning. The number of returnees were around ‎‎400 people, all included in the Israeli census. Once the families settled back, they returned to their life of agriculture and livestock farming. Our return was not considered acceptable by the Israeli army, and they started to prevent us from reaching the ‎fields freely because of “security reasons.”‎ Meanwhile, gangs began to attack the fields and harvest crops, and to kill our cattle. The attacks were repeated. After a while it became apparent ‎that these groups were supported and protected by the ‎Israeli army. They were armed like the Israeli army, passing ‎easily through their corridors, and were attacking the village without any objections from the army. When the Mokhtar [local representative of the village], ‎Mohammed Shamrokh, asked the army to protect the village and its inhabitants from these attacks, the ‎Israeli army did not lift a finger, claiming that it was not their responsibility. Instead ‎of providing protection, attacks, pillage and looting increased.‎ The Mokhtar and the men of the village decided to form protection committees for ‎the villagers. Days later, four men were killed. As a result, these gangs increased ‎their attacks and threatened the villagers, saying that they would punish the population for their ‎rebellion. These gangs began to attack some houses and terrorize the inhabitants, not ‎limiting their attacks to crops and livestock. People were afraid, felt insecure and felt their ‎lives were in danger. That is why some of the villagers fled to the city of Ramla and settled ‎there, and still live there today, while others fled to the area ‎controlled by the Jordanian army at the time, and settled in the camp of Dheisheh ‎and other areas. In order to save our lives, after two years we had to leave Zakariyya. By the ‎summer of 1951, all who had returned to Zakariyya, had been‫‏ ‏‬displaced once again.‎” Mustafa Adawi, Abu Osama, Palestinian refugee originally from Zakariyya, 84 years old. Interview: 28 June 2018, Dheisheh camp. Further, the Law for the Prevention of Infiltration was last amended in 2017 to define not only Palestinians, but all people crossing irregularly as infiltrators and allowing the Israeli authorities to detain them for three or more years before their deportation. If border officials determined that those who had crossed could be subjected to persecution if returned back to their countries, then the Law allows them to detain these people indefinitely. This indefinite detention, which is applicable to Palestinian refugees trying to return to their homeland, or even to Palestinians in neighboring countries seeking asylum, violates the prohibition against arbitrary detention under international law, and is a violation of Israel’s obligations under refugee law. 29