over the offensive in the eastern Galilee. In early March, Israeli forces attempted to create a route between Tiberias and the village of Shajara, which required attacking Lubya. During the attack militiamen repulsed the Israelis, killing seven and losing six of their own. After Tiberias was occupied by Israel, Lubya turned to the ALA in nearby Nazareth for military support and guidance. In early June, the 14th. battalion from the Golani Brigade was ordered to take Lubya and "to expel its inhabitants." However, the attack failed, due to heavy resistance from the villagers. The ALA attacked the Jewish town of Sejera on June 10 at the time when a truce was being brokered between Lubya's militiamen and Israeli forces. After the truce expired on July 16, Israel launched Operation Dekel, capturing Nazareth at the start. After news of Nazareth's fall, the majority of non-combatant village residents fled north towards Lebanon or to nearby Arab towns. The ALA also withdrew, leaving the local militia to confront incoming forces. When a single Israeli armored unit appeared outside the village, the militia retreated and left the village. The few remaining residents reported that Israeli forces subsequently shelled Lubya, demolished a few houses and commandeered many others. The village was finally demolished in the 1960s. The Israeli town of Lavi was built on Lubya's land, northeast of the village site. There are also two parks on the village lands: the Lavi Pine Forest and the South African Park. They are used as picnic grounds for local residents, including former residents of Lubya who are internally displaced persons living in various existing Arab localities in Israel. In the 1990s, two books were published about Lubya by Ibrahim Yahya Al-Shahabi, one under the auspices of Birzeit University, and one book about Lubya was published in Denmark, in 1995, by Mahmoud Issa. Demographics The village's population rose and dropped dramatically throughout its history; In 1596, Lubya had a population of 1,177 dropping to about 400–700 in the beginning of the 19th century. The village's residents predominantly adhered to Islam. It was estimated that there was 16,741 Palestinian refugees descending from Lubya in 1998. After 1948, the majority of refugees lived at the Wavel refugee camp in Lebanon and other places in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. A few hundred remained in Israel as present absentees, living first in Kafr Kana. After the departure of the PLO from Lebanon