<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[ei: Global actions mark Palestine&#8217;s Land&nbsp;Day]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p><span class="text14">Report, <em>The Electronic Intifada,</em> 2 April 2011</p>
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<td><span class="text11">Protesters in Lydd commemorate the 35th annual Land Day. (Oren Ziv/<a href="http://www.activestills.org/">ActiveStills</a>)</span></td>
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<p><span class="text14"><span class="content"><br />
Direct actions, rallies and protests took place across Palestine and in  numerous cities across the world on 30 March to commemorate the 35th  annual Land Day, an important day of remembrance for six Palestinians  with Israeli citizenship gunned down by Israeli forces in 1976 during a  general strike in protest of expanded land confiscation inside the  state.</p>
<p>In addition to the six killed, hundreds were arrested, imprisoned and  injured during the general strike and protests after the Israeli  government announced plans to expropriate more land for Jewish-only  settlements. Since then, annual events have been held to honor those  killed while highlighting the struggle for Palestinian land rights  inside Israel, the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank including East  Jerusalem, and across the global refugee diaspora.</p>
<p>Many events incorporated boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)  strategies and direct actions, as the ongoing Palestinian-led call for  BDS grows in worldwide response to Israeli apartheid and ethnic  cleansing practices. According to <a href="http://www.bdsmovement.net/">the BDS movement website</a>, more than 60 cities across the globe commemorated Land Day by engaging in BDS actions.</p>
<p><strong>Al-Araqib</strong></p>
<p>Correspondents with The Electronic Intifada attended Land Day events in  the Bedouin village of al-Araqib in the Naqab (Negev) desert, which has  been demolished 20 times since July 2010 by the Israeli government in  collaboration with the Jewish National Fund (JNF) (<em>Keren Kayemet LeIsrael</em> in Hebrew). After dispossessing the people of al-Araqib, <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11860.shtml">the JNF plans to plant a forest on the village&#8217;s land</a>.</p>
<p>Approximately 1,000 persons attended the rally in al-Araqib, which  featured speeches by Palestinian members of the Israeli parliament  (Knesset) including Ahmed Tibi, Taleb al-Saneh, and Jamal Zahalka, as  well as leading figures of the Palestinian community in Israel such as  Sheikh Raed Salah. Salah said that Palestinian citizens of the state  will continue to resist Israeli policies of dispossession.</p>
<p>Sheikh Siyah al-Toury, head of the Popular Committee to Defend  al-Araqib, thanked the lawmakers and Knesset members in attendance  &#8220;despite being battled at the Knesset by members of one of the most  racist parliaments in the history of Israel,&#8221; the International Middle  East Media Center (IMEMC) reported (&#8220;<a href="http://imemc.org/article/60966%22">Thousands Mark Land Day In The Negev</a>,&#8221; 30 March 2011).</p>
<p>Several women leaders spoke as well, addressing the role of women in the  ongoing struggle for Palestinian land rights across the region.</p>
<p><strong>Arrabe and Sakhnin</strong></p>
<p>Thousands marched in the northern Galilee cities of Arabbe and nearby  Sakhnin, commemorating Land Day and denouncing Israeli governmental  policies of racism and discrimination.</p>
<p>Israeli daily <em>Haaretz</em> reported that Mohammed Zeidan, chair of  the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee said during the protest that  &#8220;Israel is regressing into dangerous directions in its treatment of its  Arab citizens&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-arabs-decry-state-regression-as-thousands-march-on-land-day-1.353039%22">Israeli Arabs decry state &#8216;regression&#8217; as thousands march on Land Day</a>,&#8221; 30 March 2011).</p>
<p><strong>Lydd</strong></p>
<p>A massive Land Day protest was held in Lydd, on Tuesday, 29 March, as  approximately 1,500 Palestinian citizens of Israel demonstrated against  repression and discrimination in the city.</p>
<p>Protesters &#8220;raised Palestinian flags, carried signs reading &#8216;Enough with  the Ethnic Cleansing&#8217; and burned pictures of Foreign Minister Avigdor  Lieberman,&#8221; <em>Haaretz</em> reported (&#8220;<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/some-1-500-israeli-arabs-take-part-in-land-day-protest-in-lod-1.352720%22">Some 1,500 Israeli Arabs take part in Land Day protest in Lod</a>,&#8221; 29 March 2011).</p>
<p>Protests have been held every Tuesday evening since the <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11738.shtml">December 2010 demolition of seven Palestinian homes</a> by Israeli forces.</p>
<p><strong>West Bank</strong></p>
<p>Land Day events took place across cities, towns and villages in the  occupied West Bank, including Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus and  Tulkarem. Ma&#8217;an news reported that teachers across the West Bank  including East Jerusalem &#8220;devoted their first class Wednesday to the  history of Land Day, and the Palestinian struggle to prevent land  confiscations&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=373712%22">Palestinians commemorate Land Day</a>,&#8221; 30 March 2011).</p>
<p>Palestinians and international solidarity activists planted trees in the  village of Husan, near Bethlehem. More than 50 people gathered to plant  trees on village land that abuts the illegal Bittar Illit settlement,  and were immediately surrounded by the Israeli military, according to  the Alternative Information Center (AIC) (&#8220;<a href="http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/news/3472-palestinians-commemorate-the-35th-anniversary-of-land-day%22">Palestinians Commemorate the 35th anniversary of Land Day</a>,&#8221; 31 March 2011).</p>
<p><strong>Gaza</strong></p>
<p>University students marking Land Day marched in Gaza City, but the  protest was &#8220;broken up&#8221; by Hamas security forces, according to a report  by Agence France Presse (&#8220;<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gM4ARkrCMQFCHWanuZDTcZFSFdqQ?docId=CNG.583450bebb349b36f3b01e5eb1000e5f.3a1%22">Israeli Arabs, Bedouins protest discrimination</a>,&#8221; 30 March 2011).</p>
<p><strong>United States</strong></p>
<p>In the US, Land Day commemorations occurred in the form of direct  actions in support of boycott, divestment and sanctions while activists  challenged the land confiscation policies of the JNF.</p>
<p><em>San Francisco</em></p>
<p>Activists with the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) and  American Muslims for Palestine in the San Francisco Bay Area held a  protest outside the offices of the Internal Revenue Service in downtown  San Francisco, demanding that the IRS withdraw charitable status of the  JNF.</p>
<p>Protesters delivered a letter to the IRS that stated in part, &#8220;The JNF  is neither a charitable nor an environmental organization and therefore  does not qualify for tax-exempt status &#8230; This mandate alone warrants  the revocation of the JNF&#8217;s tax-exempt status because it forms the basis  for the JNF&#8217;s discriminatory and racially motivated land-use  restrictions that undermine the human and civil rights of indigenous  Palestinians&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://bdsdayofaction.net/2011/03/30/report-back-jewish-activists-deliver-letter-of-protest-to-irs-addressing-racially-motivated-actions-by-non-profit-jewish-national-fund/%22">Report  Back: Jewish Activists Deliver Letter of Protest to IRS addressing  racially motivated actions by non-profit Jewish National Fund</a>,&#8221; 30 March 2011).</p>
<p><em>New York City</em></p>
<p>Land Day commemorative events took place in several areas of Manhattan  and Brooklyn, where solidarity activists staged protests in support of  the boycott of Israeli products.</p>
<p>Activists with Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign for the Boycott of  Israel and Code Pink held a rally outside a Ricky&#8217;s department store in  Brooklyn, where Israeli settlement-made Ahava cosmetics are sold (&#8220;<a href="http://bdsdayofaction.net/2011/04/01/804/%22">Report Back: New York City Ahava Action</a>,&#8221; 1 April 2011).</p>
<p>On 26 March, activists led a &#8220;flash-mob&#8221; dancing routine at Grand  Central Station in lower Manhattan, where participants sang &#8220;Don&#8217;t stop  boycottin'&#8221; to the tune of Journey&#8217;s &#8220;Don&#8217;t stop believin'&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://adalahny.org/videos/bds-flash-mob-in-grand-central-station-nyc-2-26-11%22">BDS Flash Mob in Grand Central Station, NYC</a>,&#8221; 26 March 2011).</p>
<p><em>Seattle</em></p>
<p>Activists in Seattle, Washington, staged a protest outside a Trader  Joe&#8217;s supermarket and urged the company to de-shelve Israeli-made Sabra  and Tribe hummus brands, as well as other Israeli products. A <a href="http://bdsdayofaction.net/2011/04/01/report-back-seattle/">photo montage was posted of the protest</a>.</p>
<p><em>Chicago</em></p>
<p>Dancing and singing in front of &#8220;The Bean&#8221; sculpture, social justice  activists held a &#8220;flash-mob&#8221; action in downtown Chicago on 30 March.  Participants sang &#8220;BDS&#8221; to the tune of &#8220;ABC&#8221; by the Jackson 5 as part of  the global BDS day of action on Land Day.</p>
<p>Joy Ellison, an activist with Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago (PSG)  stated in a press release that &#8220;[i]n the lyrics to our song, we sing  &#8216;apartheid and ethnic cleansing go on in Palestine every day, but  without the help of you and your money, the occupation will go away.&#8217;  While the struggle to end Israel&#8217;s apartheid policies is not an easy  one, it&#8217;s true that we in the United States can support justice and  peace by refusing to support companies and institutions that support  Israel and its occupation of Palestine&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://psgchicago.org/?p=508%22">Chicago Activists Mark Palestinian Land Day with Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Flash-Mob</a>,&#8221; 31 March 2011).</p>
<p>The flash-mob was also held earlier in the day, outside of the Chicago  Cultural Center, home of the Chicago Sister Cities International office.  PSG stated that for the last two years, activists &#8220;have pressured the  city of Chicago to end its relationship with its Israeli sister city,  Petach Tikva.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Petach Tikva, an officially segregated city, is the first Jewish-only  settlement in historic Palestine and the site of the primary detention  center where Israeli forces abuse and torture Palestinian political  prisoners. Human Rights group Amnesty International dubbed Petach Tikva  &#8216;Israel&#8217;s Guantanamo,'&#8221; the press release added.</p>
<p>A video of the flash-mob action at The Bean can be viewed <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=z4tXe2HKqqs">on YouTube</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Italy</strong></p>
<p>A group of young Palestinians in Rome, Italy, protested outside the  offices of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) mission office on  Land Day with a list of demands directed at the Palestinian Authority  (PA).</p>
<p>As part of the global call to action issued by the Palestinian Youth  Network (PYN) on Land Day, the youth in Rome demanded that the PLO be  restructured to include all sectors of Palestinian society, including  diasporic communities, and that democratic elections be held  guaranteeing one person-one vote representation of all members.</p>
<p>The PYN statement added: &#8220;All of these demands are not our end goals but  rather first steps to strengthen the Palestinian popular movement  against occupation, apartheid and the Zionist colonization of our  homeland&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://columbiasjp.org/2011/03/30/land-day-march-30-2011/%22">Land Day: March 30, 2011</a>&#8220;).</p>
<p>Meanwhile, activists with the Rome Palestine Solidarity Network planted  olive trees in various locations in the city in commemoration of Land  Day. The March 30th BDS Day of Action website reported that four olive  trees were planted &#8220;on the very land where some years ago the JNF,  together with the Municipality of Rome, had planted trees&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://bdsdayofaction.net/2011/04/01/report-back-rome/%22">Report Back: Rome</a>,&#8221; 1 April 2011).</p>
<p>An olive tree was planted at the Colosseum, and another was planted next  to a monument honoring American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed  by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza strip in 2003.</p>
<p><strong>UK</strong></p>
<p>Solidarity activists held a civil disobedience protest inside the head  office of the Veolia corporation in London on Land Day, demanding that  the company stop providing services to illegal settlement colonies in  the occupied West Bank.</p>
<p>Veolia is a French-owned transportation and urban planning corporation that has several contracts with the Israeli government  <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11488.shtml">to provide services to West Bank settlements</a>.</p>
<p>The UK Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) reported that activists  &#8220;handed a letter to a Veolia spokesperson explaining and specifying why  Veolia&#8217;s actions in aiding Israel&#8217;s occupation constitute grave breaches  of humanitarian and international laws. At the same time a protestor  gave the spokesperson an oral summary of the contents of the letter&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://www.palestinecampaign.org/index7b.asp?m_id=1&amp;l1_id=4&amp;l2_id=24&amp;Content_ID=1860%22">Protestors Pay A Visit To Veolia&#8217;s London HQ On Palestine Land Day</a>,&#8221; 30 March 2011).</p>
<p>A video of the action was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khp46gFaUsE%22">posted to YouTube</a>.</p>
<p>Other boycott actions took place in Norway and in France, where  activists held a &#8220;flash-mob&#8221; action in support of boycotts in front of  the Eiffel tower (&#8220;<a href="http://bdsdayofaction.net/2011/03/30/report-back-flashmob-in-paris-palmob/%22">Report Back: Flashmob in Paris &#8220;PalMob&#8221;</a>,&#8221; 1 April 2011).</p>
<p>BDS activists in Montreal, Canada, are holding a protest on 2 April to  intensify their call for boycott and demand that Israel cease policies  of apartheid against Palestinians (&#8220;<a href="http://bdsdayofaction.net/2011/04/01/motreal-quebec-action-this-saturday/#more-801%22">Montreal (Quebec) action this Saturday</a>,&#8221; 1 April 2011).</p>
<p><strong>Global anti-Zionist activists challenge the JNF on Land Day</strong></p>
<p>Meanwhile, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) launched  a campaign on Land Day to stop JNF land confiscation and appropriation  activities. In a press release, IJAN urged solidarity activists to  incorporate strategic challenges to the JNF in their boycott and  solidarity work (&#8220;<a href="http://www.ijsn.net/664/%22">Join the international campaign to Stop the Jewish National Fund</a>,&#8221; 27 March 2011).</p>
<p>&#8220;Land Day 2011 will welcome the launch of internationally coordinated  campaigns to challenge the JNF-KKL,&#8221; IJAN stated. &#8220;As part of the global  movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS), in solidarity  with the Palestinian liberation struggle, and until such time as the  State of Israel respects and implements international law, the  Palestinian BDS National Committee and many other organizations call on  global civil society to join in a campaign to challenge the JNF.&#8221;</p>
<p>IJAN posted an international call to stop the JNF at: <a href="http://www.stopthejnf.org/callforaction.html">www.stopthejnf.org/callforaction.html</a>.</span></p>
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