Palestinians mark 41st Land Day

On Thursday, March 30, the Palestinians marked the Land Day to demonstrate their devotion to their motherland and resistance to the Israeli land grab policy.  Since 1976, Palestinians have been holding vigils and seminars to mark the Land Day, in an act epitomizing collective resistance to the Israeli policy of appropriating more Palestinian lands.   Statements issued by national Palestinian factions on the occasion stressed Palestinians’ commitment to their homeland and to armed resistance.  A series of anti-settlement marches and rallies is also expected to take place across the occupied West Bank to commemorate the Land Day and speak up against Israel’s land grab policy.  The events of the Land Day date back to 1976, when the Israeli authorities swallowed large Palestinian tracts of land in the Galilee, resulting in deadly clashes with the Palestinian locals. Six Palestinians were pronounced dead, hundreds were left injured, and several others arrested.  On March 29, 1976 a mass demonstration swept Deir Hana town in protest at Israel’s land grab and massacres against the Palestinians. Other protests ensued, resulting in simmering violence and terrorism by the Israeli soldiers and their settler mobs.  An important annual day of commemoration in the Palestinian national political calendar, the Land Day is marked not only by the Palestinians but also by anti-occupation activists all over the world, signaling a pivotal event in the struggle for the land.