Millions of Palestinians March for their National Rights on the Land Day
*
March 29, 2006
Tomorrow,
Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line (WBGS and
Israel) and in the Diaspora will commemorate the 30th
anniversary of the Land Day (Youm el-Ard), which has
become a national day for marking our adherence to land
against Israel’s tough attempts to control the entire
land of historic Palestine (Israel now controls 84%).
And against the renewed dispossession and displacement
for the Palestinian people by the construction of the
wall and Judaising Occupied Jerusalem.
The
commemoration of the Land Day takes place this year in
the shadow of massive incidents and developments in this
region; the victory of the four-month old Kadima party
in the Israeli general elections. Kadima was established
by the comatose Prime Minister Ariel Sharon known as the
“Bulldozer” and the “Father of Settlements” who during
leading the government intensified the policy of land
expropriation and settlement construction. During his
rule the Israeli Cabinet approved the construction of
the wall around the West Bank, and through Palestinian
cities and agricultural lands in August 2002. Since
then, 47921 dunams (11,380 acres) of land 86% of which
is agricultural lands were confiscated for the
construction of the wall, which has become an integral
part of an Israeli plan for demarcation of its final
borders.
The
Land Day concurs Israel’s escalation of its unilateral
separation from the Palestinian people as vowed by
Kadima without negotiations with the Palestinians and
with a great injustice and violation of the Palestinian
national rights recognized by the international
legitimate resolutions and principles. The latest
shifting of the Qalandia checkpoint (north Jerusalem) to
a border passage signals Israel’s persisted policy to
annex and control more and more of Palestinian- owned
land in its endeavor to realize the Zionist project
based on a Jewish state with a Jewish majority.
It
also coincides the rise of the Islamist party of Hamas
to power in the Palestinian government and all of the
consequences that went along with this incident because
of the immediate thoughtless attitude of the US and
Israel, which escalated their attack against the
Palestinian people additional to the threats to halt
external aid by the European Union.
For
decades, Israel has continued its hostilities against
the Palestinian land by expropriating 5661 square
kilometers from the West Bank land for the construction
of Israeli settlements and a network of tunnels and
bypass roads, which are exclusively used by settlers.
Since its unilateral disengagement from Gaza, Israel
launched 3950 new settlement activities in the West
Bank. More than 2500 Palestinian families were displaced
and two third of the underground water has been seized
by Israel following the erection of the wall. It has
disrupted people’s social cohesion and economic
viability. Additionally, Israel destroyed and turned
the Palestinian environment to a destabilized place that
does not fit for a normal and peaceful life.
Israel’s
confiscation of land and annexation of Palestinian
territories is illegal under the international law,
which rejects the admissibility of acquisition of land
by force. We, in PARC, appeals to the international
community, the UN, the Quartet, the EU, the Organization
of the Islamic Conference, the Arab League and civil
societies across the world for a decisive stand to
compel Israel to abide by and implement the
international law particularly the Geneva Convention and
to recognize the Palestinian inalienable rights. We
appreciate your long standing solidarity with our
people, yet, you are accountable to the enforcement of
the international resolutions, and the return of the
Palestinian national rights including the establishment
of a Palestinian independent and viable state in the
territories occupied by Israel in June 1967.
*
On March 30, 1976, the Palestinian minority in Israel (now
1.4 million) peacefully vented their mass protest against
Israel’s decision to confiscate 5,250 acres from
Palestinian-owned land in the Galilee for housing Jewish
settlers. 6 Palestinians of Israeli citizen were shot
killed, 100 people were injured, and 300 were arrested.
Since then, the Palestinians across the world have been
celebrating Youm el- Ard particularly the Palestinian
Israelis who have been striving for collective and
individual rights against Israel’s increased discriminatory
policies.
