JENIN, March 30, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli armed forces Wednesday violently quelled a peaceful rally organized in commemoration of Land Day.
WAFA correspondent said a rally that took off from Jenin city to plant trees in an area situated between Silat al-Dhahr and Barqa, two towns in the West Bank districts of Jenin and Nablus, respectively, on the occasion of Land Day, was violently suppressed by Israeli forces.
Forces reportedly used tear gas canisters, and stun grenades against the rally, causing many to suffocate. They were all treated at the scene.
Forces also prevented journalists’ access to the area.
Forces further closed off the main Jenin-Nablus road before Palestinians’ movement, after attacking Palestinians who attempted to join the events organized in what was known as Homesh, an illegal Israeli settlement which was evicted after Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza in 2005, to mark the Land Day.
Meanwhile, illegal Israeli settlers reportedly raided the area targeted for tree planting, wreaking havoc inside.
Every year, the Palestinian people mark the confiscation of 21 thousand dunums of land in Al-Jalil, AlMuthalth and Al-Naqab on March 30th 1976, for the establishment of new Jewish settlements and military bases.
On this day, the Israeli authorities expropriated the land and responded violently to the protestations, killing six young demonstrators. Hundreds were reportedly injured, while hundreds others were detained.
‘March 30th became a symbol of steadfastness in every part of occupied Palestine, a day of protests and marches, and a day where the Palestinians in Palestine and in exile, in their refugee camps and villages, reaffirm their steadfastness and their determination to achieve their internationally guaranteed rights in their occupied homeland,’ stated the International Middle East Media Center.
T.R.
