RAMALLAH, March 30, 2011 (WAFA) - Palestinians in the Palestinian Territory, Israel and the Diaspora commemorate the 35th anniversary of Land Day on Wednesday.
Palestinians living in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Israel and the Diaspora celebrate Land Day by participating in rallies and general strikes.
Palestinian schools in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem also dedicate time to talk about Land Day.
Among Palestinians living in Israel, the Follow-up Committee for Arab Affairs and the National Committee for the Heads of Arab Local Authorities announced a general strike on this day in all Arab schools in Israel.
The Follow-Up Committee on Arab Education in 1948 Lands (Israel) said that the strike is a legitimate right for all Arab students to resist Israeli occupation and adhere to their sense of belonging to Palestine.
Tens of Arab schools located in Israel commemorated this day with activities and lectures with the participation of several key Palestinian figures.
The Follow-Up Committee on Arab Education published the book “Identity” which includes information about Land Day, historical events of Palestinian resistance and a bibliography of 15 prominent Arab figures.
March 30 is annually commemorated by Palestinians in honor of the events of that date in 1976, on which, in response to the Israeli government's plan to expropriate thousands of dunums of land (1 dunum = 1000 meters squared) for 'security and settlement purposes,' a general strike and marches were organized in Arab towns from the Galilee to the Negev. Six Arab citizens were killed, about one hundred were wounded and hundreds of others were arrested in the ensuing confrontations. The event was significant because it marked the first Palestinian national collective act by Arabs inside Israel since its formation in 1948.
R.S./F.J.
