Freies Politikforum für Demokraten und Anarchisten

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

Land Day commemorates the events of 30 March, 1976 when Palestinians from the Galilee to the Negev organised a massive strike to protest against the Israeli confiscation of land, ostensibly for security and settlement purposes; many were subsequently arrested or killed. This became a central incident in the history of the struggle between the Palestinian people and the Israeli occupation. It became a day for Palestinians worldwide to honour those who have fallen in defence of our land, to assert our existence as Palestinians and to embrace our identity as such.

This year's Land Day was given little attention by the local media. Instead, the headlines focused on the release of the tax revenues that Israel has frozen over the last few months in retaliation for the admission of Palestine to membership of the International Criminal Court. Among 180,000 others, I was one of the public sector employees whose salaries had been cut by 40 per cent due to this spiteful move by Israel. The media has also expressed official Palestinian support for the Arab coalition attacking the Houthi rebels in Yemen. And, finally, the media reported that the Palestinian Authority has joined the world community in expressing concern about the environmental effect of climate change. National songs in poor taste, expressive of chauvinism rather than patriotism, were also broadcast as the media paid lip-service to Land Day.

"Recently, I was stopped at a checkpoint on my way to Jerusalem. Seeing food in my car, the soldier shouted, "You cannot pass, this is not lawful." He was dumbfounded when I replied calmly, "It is your presence here that is against international law, not me bringing food from my workplace to home." Then he called for reinforcements to express extreme hostility and aggression in reaction to my remarks . "

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/middle-east/17892-memories-of-land-and-the-mind