 In 1896 the population of Lifta was estimated to be about 966 persons.In 1917, Lifta surrendered to the British forces with white flags and, as a symbolic gesture, the keys to the village.In the 1922 census of Palestine, Lifta had a population 1,451, all Muslims, increasing in the 1931 census (when Lifta was counted with "Shneller's Quarter"), to 1,893; 1,844 Muslims, 35 Jews and 14 Christians, in a total of 410 houses.