30 mar 2014
Trapped Yarmouk and Daraa camp residents commemorating Land Day
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The Jerusalemite woman, Ilham Nou’man, was injured with severe burns in her face after the Israeli forces assaulted her and sprayer her with pepper gas while suppressing a march on occasion of the anniversary of Earth Day that was called for by the campaign “Jerusalem First”.
The forces arrested a young man from Herod’s Gate and took him to Salah Eddin Street police station. The activity started as a sit-in at Damascus Gate where the participants raised the Palestinian flags and distributed stickers that said “our land called us and we responded”. When the participants tried |
to move from Damascus Gate towards the Old City, the borders police individuals formed a chain and blocked Damascus Gate and confronted the young men, assaulted them using batons and sprayed them with pepper gas.
The participants then headed towards Sultan Suleiman Street but the Cavalry units and Israeli forces chased them and arrested one young man.
The participants then headed towards Sultan Suleiman Street but the Cavalry units and Israeli forces chased them and arrested one young man.
Hundreds of Palestinians joined on Sunday a rally in the northern Gaza Strip to mark the 38th anniversary of Land Day.
Representatives of all factions including rival parties Hamas and Fatah joined the rally in scene that embodied unity of Palestinian land despite factional disputes.
Photos of President Mahmoud Abbas were raised during the rally as well as slogans showing the importance of land to the Palestinian people.
“The land isn’t for sale,” a poster read.
Fatah leader in Gaza Abu Judah al-Nahhal said in a short speech during that “Land Day in Palestine reiterates unity of the question of Palestine and consensus over all Palestinian invariables.”
He added that “those who see this scene can see that Gaza doesn’t suffer from any disagreement.”
Similarly, a senior leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine highlighted that Palestinian generations would continue to mark Land Day.
Talal Abu Tharifah added that Land Day was an expression of Palestinian opposition to confiscation of their land despite the “occupation’s might and tyranny.”
The Hamas movement reiterated that achieving Palestinian unity and creating a real national partnership are the movement’s top priorities.
A representative of Hamas in the rally said that armed resistance “is the only means to restore the land.”
He added that “Counting on negotiations which proved to be a failure and which have been taken advantage of by the Israeli occupation … is pointless and can’t achieve the minimum of our people’s expectations.”
Representatives of all factions including rival parties Hamas and Fatah joined the rally in scene that embodied unity of Palestinian land despite factional disputes.
Photos of President Mahmoud Abbas were raised during the rally as well as slogans showing the importance of land to the Palestinian people.
“The land isn’t for sale,” a poster read.
Fatah leader in Gaza Abu Judah al-Nahhal said in a short speech during that “Land Day in Palestine reiterates unity of the question of Palestine and consensus over all Palestinian invariables.”
He added that “those who see this scene can see that Gaza doesn’t suffer from any disagreement.”
Similarly, a senior leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine highlighted that Palestinian generations would continue to mark Land Day.
Talal Abu Tharifah added that Land Day was an expression of Palestinian opposition to confiscation of their land despite the “occupation’s might and tyranny.”
The Hamas movement reiterated that achieving Palestinian unity and creating a real national partnership are the movement’s top priorities.
A representative of Hamas in the rally said that armed resistance “is the only means to restore the land.”
He added that “Counting on negotiations which proved to be a failure and which have been taken advantage of by the Israeli occupation … is pointless and can’t achieve the minimum of our people’s expectations.”
The Palestinian community and the union of Palestinian students in Austria on Sunday marked 38th anniversary of Land Day in the Austrian capital Vienna.
The commemoration was attended by Palestinian ambassador to Austria Salah Abdul-Shafi, Bassam Zakarna, a member of Fatah Revolutionary Council, Mazin Ramahi, the speaker of the Palestinian community in Austria as well as several other dignitaries from Palestine and other Arab countries.
Speakers who addressed the audience talked about the history of Land Day highlighting that the Israeli occupation continued to confiscate Palestinian land both in towns and cities occupied in 1948 and in the West Bank.
Palestinian folklore band Asayil performed the traditional dance Dabka during the festival.
The commemoration was attended by Palestinian ambassador to Austria Salah Abdul-Shafi, Bassam Zakarna, a member of Fatah Revolutionary Council, Mazin Ramahi, the speaker of the Palestinian community in Austria as well as several other dignitaries from Palestine and other Arab countries.
Speakers who addressed the audience talked about the history of Land Day highlighting that the Israeli occupation continued to confiscate Palestinian land both in towns and cities occupied in 1948 and in the West Bank.
Palestinian folklore band Asayil performed the traditional dance Dabka during the festival.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) used rubber bullets and teargas to quell a peaceful march in Beit Umamr village on Sunday organized to commemorate Land Day. Eyewitnesses told the PIC that IOF soldiers had stationed at the entrance to the village since the early morning hours in anticipation of the demonstration and brutally dealt with the peaceful march.
They said that hundreds of citizens participated in the march that was violently suppressed.
Other confrontations were reported in Tulkarem, Ramallah, and Bethlehem between the heavily armed IOF soldiers and Palestinian citizens.
Local sources in Tulkarem told the PIC reporter that Palestinian Authority security forces prevented citizens from clashing with IOF soldiers at the city’s outskirts.
They said that the soldiers fired teargas bombs at the participants in the march causing breathing difficulty among dozens of them.
They said that hundreds of citizens participated in the march that was violently suppressed.
Other confrontations were reported in Tulkarem, Ramallah, and Bethlehem between the heavily armed IOF soldiers and Palestinian citizens.
Local sources in Tulkarem told the PIC reporter that Palestinian Authority security forces prevented citizens from clashing with IOF soldiers at the city’s outskirts.
They said that the soldiers fired teargas bombs at the participants in the march causing breathing difficulty among dozens of them.
Amnesty international expressed fears that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) could violently suppress planned Palestinian protests in the occupied Palestinian territories to mark "the annual Land Day" this weekend. Amnesty has called on the Israeli occupation authority to refrain from using unnecessary force on Sunday 30 March, when Palestinians will start to hold rallies commemorating the Land Day.
The annual event will also commemorate the killing of several Palestinians by Israeli security forces during a rally on March 30, 1976, which was held to protest Israel's appropriation of Arab land in the Galilee.
Amnesty has warned that it delegated a team on the ground to monitor any Israeli violations against Land Day participants on Sunday.
"Amid news of plans for forced evictions of Bedouins in the Negev/Naqab, demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and the often lethal enforcement of a no-go zone in Gaza, 'Land Day' demonstrations will protest ongoing policies as well as commemorate historical events. Israeli forces must not resort to unnecessary or excessive force as they so often have done in the past," Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Amnesty international, said.
"Israel's authorities have failed to respect the right of Palestinians to exercise their right to freedom of peaceful assembly. Amnesty international's researchers will be monitoring events on Sunday closely to examine whether the rights of demonstrators are respected," Luther added.
Amnesty said it had documented a pattern of increasingly lethal use of unlawful force by Israeli soldiers in recent years against Palestinian peaceful protests.
It affirmed that even participants in previous peaceful protests near the Gaza periphery had also been injured after having been shot with live ammunition or hit with tear gas grenades fired by Israeli soldiers.
"Amnesty international is calling on the Israeli authorities to ensure that all forces policing demonstrations receive clear instructions that comply with the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which require that the use of any force by police should be strictly limited to those situations where it is absolutely necessary and strictly proportional to the legitimate aim pursued.
"Security forces must ensure that their members are clearly identifiable. There have been concerns in the past about undercover plain-clothes officers being involved in incidents of use of excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators," the organization stated in a press release on Saturday.
In a related incident, the Israeli ministry of education threatened the principals of Arab schools in the 1948 occupied lands to take disciplinary measures against all Palestinian teachers who would participate in a general strike on the Land Day.
Director-general of the education ministry Michal Cohen directed in a strongly worded letter all school inspectors to warn the principals of Arab schools against any absence of teachers or administrators on the Land Day.
According to the letter, the Arab school principals are demanded to provide Cohen with their assessment of the situations in their schools on the morning of Sunday and report about any absence of teachers or any administrators who may take part in the strike on the Land Day.
The annual event will also commemorate the killing of several Palestinians by Israeli security forces during a rally on March 30, 1976, which was held to protest Israel's appropriation of Arab land in the Galilee.
Amnesty has warned that it delegated a team on the ground to monitor any Israeli violations against Land Day participants on Sunday.
"Amid news of plans for forced evictions of Bedouins in the Negev/Naqab, demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and the often lethal enforcement of a no-go zone in Gaza, 'Land Day' demonstrations will protest ongoing policies as well as commemorate historical events. Israeli forces must not resort to unnecessary or excessive force as they so often have done in the past," Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Amnesty international, said.
"Israel's authorities have failed to respect the right of Palestinians to exercise their right to freedom of peaceful assembly. Amnesty international's researchers will be monitoring events on Sunday closely to examine whether the rights of demonstrators are respected," Luther added.
Amnesty said it had documented a pattern of increasingly lethal use of unlawful force by Israeli soldiers in recent years against Palestinian peaceful protests.
It affirmed that even participants in previous peaceful protests near the Gaza periphery had also been injured after having been shot with live ammunition or hit with tear gas grenades fired by Israeli soldiers.
"Amnesty international is calling on the Israeli authorities to ensure that all forces policing demonstrations receive clear instructions that comply with the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which require that the use of any force by police should be strictly limited to those situations where it is absolutely necessary and strictly proportional to the legitimate aim pursued.
"Security forces must ensure that their members are clearly identifiable. There have been concerns in the past about undercover plain-clothes officers being involved in incidents of use of excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators," the organization stated in a press release on Saturday.
In a related incident, the Israeli ministry of education threatened the principals of Arab schools in the 1948 occupied lands to take disciplinary measures against all Palestinian teachers who would participate in a general strike on the Land Day.
Director-general of the education ministry Michal Cohen directed in a strongly worded letter all school inspectors to warn the principals of Arab schools against any absence of teachers or administrators on the Land Day.
According to the letter, the Arab school principals are demanded to provide Cohen with their assessment of the situations in their schools on the morning of Sunday and report about any absence of teachers or any administrators who may take part in the strike on the Land Day.
A Palestinian member of the Israel's Knesset HaneenZoabi stressed that the Israeli occupation not only seeks to confiscate the land, but to control our minds and to eliminate the Palestinian relation with the homeland. She said Saturday on the anniversary of Land Day in al-Nassera " Land Day does not just celebrate a regular event , it is a historical and important event for the Palestinian people.
She pointed out that it is an important event that gathers the pre-1948 Palestinian minorities who still in their lands and an incentive that moves us to maintain our rights to exist and live in our lands in peace.
“The Israeli occupation practices will not deter the Palestinian from the right of maintaining sovereignty over his homelandwhich is derived from Palestinians' historical right.” she asserted, “ Palestinians are still keeping their pride and belonging to their land. In this day, they stressed their right to struggle against the Israeli occupation.”
Land Day indicated our historical novel which the Israeli occupation wanted to erase, distort and change its parameters.
Land Day, March 30, is an annual day of commemoration for Palestinians of the events of that date in 1976. In response to the Israeli government's announcement of a plan to expropriate thousands of dunams of land for security and settlement purposes, a general strike and marches were organized in Arab towns from the Galilee to the Negev. In the ensuing confrontations with the Israeli army and police, six unarmed Palestinian citizens were killed, about one hundred were wounded, and hundreds of others arrested.
She pointed out that it is an important event that gathers the pre-1948 Palestinian minorities who still in their lands and an incentive that moves us to maintain our rights to exist and live in our lands in peace.
“The Israeli occupation practices will not deter the Palestinian from the right of maintaining sovereignty over his homelandwhich is derived from Palestinians' historical right.” she asserted, “ Palestinians are still keeping their pride and belonging to their land. In this day, they stressed their right to struggle against the Israeli occupation.”
Land Day indicated our historical novel which the Israeli occupation wanted to erase, distort and change its parameters.
Land Day, March 30, is an annual day of commemoration for Palestinians of the events of that date in 1976. In response to the Israeli government's announcement of a plan to expropriate thousands of dunams of land for security and settlement purposes, a general strike and marches were organized in Arab towns from the Galilee to the Negev. In the ensuing confrontations with the Israeli army and police, six unarmed Palestinian citizens were killed, about one hundred were wounded, and hundreds of others arrested.
A Palestinian man is arrested by Israeli border guards during a demonstration marking Land Day around the old city in East Jerusalem on March 29, 2014
Israeli police used force on Saturday to break up a Palestinian protest march in occupied East Jerusalem, injuring several people including two journalists, news photographers said.
Several demonstrators and four journalists -- among them a photographer from Agence France-Presse and another from Reuters -- were slightly injured by projectiles fired by police during the incident, near the walled Old City's Damascus Gate.
The AFP photographer, who was hit on the head, was treated in a local hospital and discharged.
The demonstration, by a few dozen activists, was to mark the eve of Land Day when Palestinians in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza hold protest rallies.
Israeli police used force on Saturday to break up a Palestinian protest march in occupied East Jerusalem, injuring several people including two journalists, news photographers said.
Several demonstrators and four journalists -- among them a photographer from Agence France-Presse and another from Reuters -- were slightly injured by projectiles fired by police during the incident, near the walled Old City's Damascus Gate.
The AFP photographer, who was hit on the head, was treated in a local hospital and discharged.
The demonstration, by a few dozen activists, was to mark the eve of Land Day when Palestinians in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza hold protest rallies.
It commemorates the day in 1976 when six Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli security forces during mass protests against plans to confiscate Arab land in the northern Galilee region.
"The demonstrators began to throw stones at police on the scene," police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP, adding that officers responded with unspecified "riot dispersal means."
She said six people were arrested for public disorder offences but said she had no report of any casualties.
The Foreign Press Association, which represents the international news media in Israel, has repeatedly complained to Israeli authorities over a string of violent incidents involving security forces and journalists.
"The demonstrators began to throw stones at police on the scene," police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP, adding that officers responded with unspecified "riot dispersal means."
She said six people were arrested for public disorder offences but said she had no report of any casualties.
The Foreign Press Association, which represents the international news media in Israel, has repeatedly complained to Israeli authorities over a string of violent incidents involving security forces and journalists.
Dozens of Palestinian young men took part in a demonstration in occupied Jerusalem on the eve of Land Day to protest Israeli constant violations of their rights. An Israeli police statement on Saturday claimed that the youths threw stones at Israeli policemen and border guards and chanted protest slogans.
It added that the policemen responded by firing teargas and live and rubber bullets to disperse the young men, adding that six of the demonstrators were arrested.
A statement for the national and Islamic forces in occupied Jerusalem said that preparations were finalized for celebrating Land Day on Sunday.
It pointed out that no declaration would be made on locations of those celebrations in light of the Israeli occupation authority’s threat that it would close down any institution or center in which such celebrations are held.
It added that the policemen responded by firing teargas and live and rubber bullets to disperse the young men, adding that six of the demonstrators were arrested.
A statement for the national and Islamic forces in occupied Jerusalem said that preparations were finalized for celebrating Land Day on Sunday.
It pointed out that no declaration would be made on locations of those celebrations in light of the Israeli occupation authority’s threat that it would close down any institution or center in which such celebrations are held.
29 mar 2014
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The Israeli forces arrested seven Jerusalemites and injured dozens others with rubber bullets and shrapnel of sound grenades while suppressing a march on the occasion of “Earth Day”.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed by the ambulance of Red Crescent that eight injuries have been transferred to the hospital for treatment where the most critical was a serious injury in the eye with a rubber bullet and was transferred to Al-Maqased hospital and then to Hadassah Ein Kerem. Mohammad Zboun was also injured in the face, Bayan Jo’beh was injured in her leg by shrapnel, Um Abed was injured with shrapnel her thigh and two children were also injured in their limbs. The march initiated from Salah Eddin Street and few minutes later and while raising the |
Palestinian flags and chanting slogans on occasion of Earth Day, the Special Forces attacked the participants from behind and heavily fired sound grenades and rubber bullets towards them; the forces then deliberately to suppress all the gatherings in Salah Eddin Street.
The forces also managed to disrupt the work of journalists and paramedics by chasing and pushing them as well as verbally abusing them; note that five journalist photographers and three paramedics were injured.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that the most critical injury among the journalist photographers occurred to Ahmad Gharableh as he was injured with a sound grenade that directly hit his forehead and he was transferred to the hospital for treatment.
The Center explained that he was injured just minutes after the march started which confirms the fact that Israeli forces are targeting journalists. Also, photographer Jamil Qadamani was injured in his leg, Suleiman Khader was injured with two rubber bullets in the chest and the leg and photographer Mohammad Asho was also injured.
Three paramedics were injured in the clashes; they are: Marwan Suleiman, Fouad Obeid and Eyad Abu Sneineh.
The Israeli forces raided the “Mu’aqat” commercial store in Salah Eddin Street and were deployed in both floors. They randomly fired sound grenades inside the store which led to the injury of several citizens with a state of fear.
In terms of arrests, the Israeli forces arrested seven Jerusalemites including the Jerusalemite activist Samer Abu Eisheh as he was severely beaten and his clothes were tore as a result of the assault. The forces also arrested the Jerusalemites merchant Munther Hirbawi, Ahmad Masri, lawyer Tarek Assouli and the 13-year old child Wahj Alhaq.
In the afternoon hours, a group of Jerusalemites managed to demonstrate in the courtyard of Damascus Gate and after few seconds of chanting slogans, the Israeli forces attacked them and randomly fired rubber bullets and sound grenades towards them; note that dozens of citizens were present in the area which led to several injuries among them.
The forces also managed to disrupt the work of journalists and paramedics by chasing and pushing them as well as verbally abusing them; note that five journalist photographers and three paramedics were injured.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that the most critical injury among the journalist photographers occurred to Ahmad Gharableh as he was injured with a sound grenade that directly hit his forehead and he was transferred to the hospital for treatment.
The Center explained that he was injured just minutes after the march started which confirms the fact that Israeli forces are targeting journalists. Also, photographer Jamil Qadamani was injured in his leg, Suleiman Khader was injured with two rubber bullets in the chest and the leg and photographer Mohammad Asho was also injured.
Three paramedics were injured in the clashes; they are: Marwan Suleiman, Fouad Obeid and Eyad Abu Sneineh.
The Israeli forces raided the “Mu’aqat” commercial store in Salah Eddin Street and were deployed in both floors. They randomly fired sound grenades inside the store which led to the injury of several citizens with a state of fear.
In terms of arrests, the Israeli forces arrested seven Jerusalemites including the Jerusalemite activist Samer Abu Eisheh as he was severely beaten and his clothes were tore as a result of the assault. The forces also arrested the Jerusalemites merchant Munther Hirbawi, Ahmad Masri, lawyer Tarek Assouli and the 13-year old child Wahj Alhaq.
In the afternoon hours, a group of Jerusalemites managed to demonstrate in the courtyard of Damascus Gate and after few seconds of chanting slogans, the Israeli forces attacked them and randomly fired rubber bullets and sound grenades towards them; note that dozens of citizens were present in the area which led to several injuries among them.
There are fears that Israeli forces could launch a violent crackdown on planned Palestinian protests in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) to mark “Land Day” this weekend, said Amnesty International.
The organization is calling on the Israeli authorities to refrain from using unnecessary force on Sunday 30 March, when Palestinians will hold rallies, first held on the same date in 1976, to protest against land confiscations, discrimination in housing rights, and forced evictions. Amnesty International has a team on the ground to monitor events on Sunday.
“Amid news of plans for forced evictions of Bedouin in the Negev/Naqab, demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and the often lethal enforcement of a no-go zone in Gaza, ‘Land Day’ demonstrations will protest ongoing policies as well as commemorate historical events. Israeli forces must not resort to unnecessary or excessive force as they so often have done in the past,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.
“Israel’s authorities have failed to respect the right of Palestinians to exercise their right to freedom of peaceful assembly. Amnesty International’s researchers will be monitoring events on Sunday closely to examine whether the rights of demonstrators are respected.”
Amnesty International has documented a pattern of increasingly lethal use of unlawful force by Israeli forces in recent years. In a report published last month, Trigger-happy: Israel’s use of excessive force in the West Bank, the organization revealed that Israeli forces routinely resort to unnecessary, arbitrary and excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators in the occupied West Bank protesting against unlawful settlements, the construction of the military fence/wall and other Israeli policies. Dozens of Palestinian protesters who posed no direct threat to life, including children, have been killed there in recent years with near total impunity.
Demonstrators attending protests near the Gaza periphery have also been injured after being shot with live ammunition or hit with tear gas canisters fired by Israeli forces.
Amnesty International is calling on the Israeli authorities to ensure that all forces policing demonstrations receive clear instructions that comply with the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which require that the use of any force by police should be strictly limited to those situations where it is absolutely necessary and strictly proportional to the legitimate aim pursued. Security forces must ensure that their members are clearly identifiable. There have been concerns in the past about undercover plain-clothes officers being involved in incidents of use of excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators.
“Land Day” protests are also planned in the Negev/Naqab, where violations of and discrimination in housing rights are particularly conspicuous. According to the Israeli Ministry of Public Security, 697 Bedouin-owned buildings were demolished in the area in 2013, a marked increase on 369 in 2012. At least 25 more buildings have been demolished since January 2014, according to information gathered by Amnesty International, mostly in unrecognized villages housing up to half the Palestinian Bedouin citizens of Israel in the Negev/Naqab. Against the backdrop of decades of exclusion from regional developmental plans, the Israeli government has proposed a new law that paves the way for the potential forced evictions of some 30,000 Bedouin.
“People in the Negev/Naqab are angry. The consultations that the authorities claim to have held with the residents over their eviction have been wholly inadequate, failing to meet Israel’s international obligations on housing rights. Their homes have been demolished countless times. Now they are facing the prospect of forced evictions, and when they protest against this, they are met with arbitrary and abusive force,” said Philip Luther.
“There is a deep suspicion that the Israeli authorities are aiming to push the Bedouin in the Negev/Naqab into controlled and restricted areas which are not adequate and appropriate for their way of life – economically, socially or culturally. The government should drop the proposed ‘Law for Regularizing Bedouin Habitation in the Negev’ now. ‘Land Day’ continues to be poignantly relevant in this context.”
Israel should grant official status to villages in these areas and provide them with the essential services they need. If some evictions are found to be necessary after exhausting all feasible options, genuine consultations must be conducted with those communities, taking into consideration alternative proposals and the impact they will have on their lives and livelihoods.
The organization is calling on the Israeli authorities to refrain from using unnecessary force on Sunday 30 March, when Palestinians will hold rallies, first held on the same date in 1976, to protest against land confiscations, discrimination in housing rights, and forced evictions. Amnesty International has a team on the ground to monitor events on Sunday.
“Amid news of plans for forced evictions of Bedouin in the Negev/Naqab, demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and the often lethal enforcement of a no-go zone in Gaza, ‘Land Day’ demonstrations will protest ongoing policies as well as commemorate historical events. Israeli forces must not resort to unnecessary or excessive force as they so often have done in the past,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.
“Israel’s authorities have failed to respect the right of Palestinians to exercise their right to freedom of peaceful assembly. Amnesty International’s researchers will be monitoring events on Sunday closely to examine whether the rights of demonstrators are respected.”
Amnesty International has documented a pattern of increasingly lethal use of unlawful force by Israeli forces in recent years. In a report published last month, Trigger-happy: Israel’s use of excessive force in the West Bank, the organization revealed that Israeli forces routinely resort to unnecessary, arbitrary and excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators in the occupied West Bank protesting against unlawful settlements, the construction of the military fence/wall and other Israeli policies. Dozens of Palestinian protesters who posed no direct threat to life, including children, have been killed there in recent years with near total impunity.
Demonstrators attending protests near the Gaza periphery have also been injured after being shot with live ammunition or hit with tear gas canisters fired by Israeli forces.
Amnesty International is calling on the Israeli authorities to ensure that all forces policing demonstrations receive clear instructions that comply with the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which require that the use of any force by police should be strictly limited to those situations where it is absolutely necessary and strictly proportional to the legitimate aim pursued. Security forces must ensure that their members are clearly identifiable. There have been concerns in the past about undercover plain-clothes officers being involved in incidents of use of excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators.
“Land Day” protests are also planned in the Negev/Naqab, where violations of and discrimination in housing rights are particularly conspicuous. According to the Israeli Ministry of Public Security, 697 Bedouin-owned buildings were demolished in the area in 2013, a marked increase on 369 in 2012. At least 25 more buildings have been demolished since January 2014, according to information gathered by Amnesty International, mostly in unrecognized villages housing up to half the Palestinian Bedouin citizens of Israel in the Negev/Naqab. Against the backdrop of decades of exclusion from regional developmental plans, the Israeli government has proposed a new law that paves the way for the potential forced evictions of some 30,000 Bedouin.
“People in the Negev/Naqab are angry. The consultations that the authorities claim to have held with the residents over their eviction have been wholly inadequate, failing to meet Israel’s international obligations on housing rights. Their homes have been demolished countless times. Now they are facing the prospect of forced evictions, and when they protest against this, they are met with arbitrary and abusive force,” said Philip Luther.
“There is a deep suspicion that the Israeli authorities are aiming to push the Bedouin in the Negev/Naqab into controlled and restricted areas which are not adequate and appropriate for their way of life – economically, socially or culturally. The government should drop the proposed ‘Law for Regularizing Bedouin Habitation in the Negev’ now. ‘Land Day’ continues to be poignantly relevant in this context.”
Israel should grant official status to villages in these areas and provide them with the essential services they need. If some evictions are found to be necessary after exhausting all feasible options, genuine consultations must be conducted with those communities, taking into consideration alternative proposals and the impact they will have on their lives and livelihoods.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Saturday morning quelled demonstrations staged by dozens of Palestinians near the border fence in the north of Gaza, in commemoration of the Land Day. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture has called for planting olive trees east of the town of Jabaliya northern Gaza, near the border fence.
Dozens of citizens took part in the event, during which they raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans demanding the end of the Israeli occupation.
Quds Press quoted an eyewitness as saying that a number of demonstrators were able to cross the fence and entered to the 1948 occupied territories, where they tried to plant trees and raised the Palestinian flag.
The witness added that the IOF fired gas bombs and live bullets toward the participants in the event to disperse them. No injuries were reported, he said.
Dozens of citizens took part in the event, during which they raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans demanding the end of the Israeli occupation.
Quds Press quoted an eyewitness as saying that a number of demonstrators were able to cross the fence and entered to the 1948 occupied territories, where they tried to plant trees and raised the Palestinian flag.
The witness added that the IOF fired gas bombs and live bullets toward the participants in the event to disperse them. No injuries were reported, he said.
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A Gaza farmers participating in an 'planting borderland' event marking Land Day
Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday morning commemorated the 38th anniversary of Land Day planting a number of olive trees in the area of Khor Zanon east of Jabalia town, northern Gaza Strip. Minister Ali al-Tarshwi said “Today we plant olive trees to demonstrate our attachment to our land that we hold dear,” |
To observe Land Day from this very zone means that we will not cede our land and will work to enhance the steadfastness of our people.
He pointed out that his ministry is proceeding with executing its plan for 2014; part of its provisions is to pave 10 streets for farmers and to establish 100 water wells in the border areas in northern Gaza Strip.
For his part, Head of Directorate of Agriculture-North Governorate, Mr Younis al-Zaytouniya said “we are celebrating the anniversary of Land Day on this border thanks to Allah Almighty and to the Palestinian resistance who forces the Israeli military to pull out of it after the last [November 2012] war,”
“Planting olive trees in this area delivers a message of challenge to the [Israeli] occupation after they prevented farmers from accessing their work place here.” He added.
Land Day marks the death of six Palestinian citizens of ‘Israel’, who took part in a general strike in protest of an Israeli decision to confiscate private Palestinian lands in 1976.
The buffer zone is between 500 meters and 1500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.
According to UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza's total land area and 35 percent of its agricultural land were within the buffer zone as of 2010, directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gazans.
He pointed out that his ministry is proceeding with executing its plan for 2014; part of its provisions is to pave 10 streets for farmers and to establish 100 water wells in the border areas in northern Gaza Strip.
For his part, Head of Directorate of Agriculture-North Governorate, Mr Younis al-Zaytouniya said “we are celebrating the anniversary of Land Day on this border thanks to Allah Almighty and to the Palestinian resistance who forces the Israeli military to pull out of it after the last [November 2012] war,”
“Planting olive trees in this area delivers a message of challenge to the [Israeli] occupation after they prevented farmers from accessing their work place here.” He added.
Land Day marks the death of six Palestinian citizens of ‘Israel’, who took part in a general strike in protest of an Israeli decision to confiscate private Palestinian lands in 1976.
The buffer zone is between 500 meters and 1500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.
According to UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza's total land area and 35 percent of its agricultural land were within the buffer zone as of 2010, directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gazans.
On the occasion of the Land Day, Palestinian researchers and politicians emphasized that the continuation of the futile negotiations had caused an unprecedented increase in the pace of Israeli land grab and has formed a cover for settlement expansion in the West Bank.
On 30th March of each year, the Palestinians commemorate the Land Day, the events of which date back to March 1976 when the Israeli authorities announced its plan to expropriate thousands of dunums of Arab-owned lands located within the boundaries of regions with an absolute majority of Palestinian population, especially in the Galilee.
The Arab masses in the 1948 territories gathered to protest the Israeli government plans and decided to go on a general strike and to stage marches, defying the Israeli authorities for the first time after the occupation of Palestine in 1948.
The Israeli authorities' response was severe. Military troops backed by tanks and armored personnel carriers raided the Palestinian villages and reoccupied them, after killing six Palestinians, wounding dozens, and arresting hundreds of others. In the subsequent years those events have become marked in the Palestinian memory as Land Day.
Legislative Council member Mustafa Barghouti says the ongoing negotiations have formed a direct cover for the recent significant escalation of settlement activities and land confiscation in the West Bank.
He told PIC's correspondent: "Netanyahu's government has been taking advantage of the current negotiations to construct settlements. It has also launched an unprecedented campaign that aims to change the reality, taking advantage of the political situation offered by the Palestinian side that agreed to return to the negotiations without guarantees."
Barghouti stressed that the continuation of the negotiations represents "a sin that should be stopped", noting that the settlement activities have increased by 130% since the start of the negotiations.
For his part, Professor of Political Science Dr. Abdel Sattar Qassem opined that the PA leadership has never been concerned with the protection of the land vis-à-vis the settlement activity, and thus it served the occupation and helped it to seize more land through the futile negotiations.
He also condemned the security coordination between the Authority security apparatuses and the occupation forces and added that the practices of the PA security services against the resistance contributed in providing protection for the Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
The Palestinian MP Ibrahim Dahbour stressed that the resistance protects the land from settlement construction.
He pointed out that the Oslo agreement has contributed to the division of the Palestinian land into areas A, B, and C and therefore enabled Israel to impose its control over two-thirds of the area of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The MP said that the ongoing negotiations resulted in more land grab and therefore should be stopped.
On 30th March of each year, the Palestinians commemorate the Land Day, the events of which date back to March 1976 when the Israeli authorities announced its plan to expropriate thousands of dunums of Arab-owned lands located within the boundaries of regions with an absolute majority of Palestinian population, especially in the Galilee.
The Arab masses in the 1948 territories gathered to protest the Israeli government plans and decided to go on a general strike and to stage marches, defying the Israeli authorities for the first time after the occupation of Palestine in 1948.
The Israeli authorities' response was severe. Military troops backed by tanks and armored personnel carriers raided the Palestinian villages and reoccupied them, after killing six Palestinians, wounding dozens, and arresting hundreds of others. In the subsequent years those events have become marked in the Palestinian memory as Land Day.
Legislative Council member Mustafa Barghouti says the ongoing negotiations have formed a direct cover for the recent significant escalation of settlement activities and land confiscation in the West Bank.
He told PIC's correspondent: "Netanyahu's government has been taking advantage of the current negotiations to construct settlements. It has also launched an unprecedented campaign that aims to change the reality, taking advantage of the political situation offered by the Palestinian side that agreed to return to the negotiations without guarantees."
Barghouti stressed that the continuation of the negotiations represents "a sin that should be stopped", noting that the settlement activities have increased by 130% since the start of the negotiations.
For his part, Professor of Political Science Dr. Abdel Sattar Qassem opined that the PA leadership has never been concerned with the protection of the land vis-à-vis the settlement activity, and thus it served the occupation and helped it to seize more land through the futile negotiations.
He also condemned the security coordination between the Authority security apparatuses and the occupation forces and added that the practices of the PA security services against the resistance contributed in providing protection for the Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
The Palestinian MP Ibrahim Dahbour stressed that the resistance protects the land from settlement construction.
He pointed out that the Oslo agreement has contributed to the division of the Palestinian land into areas A, B, and C and therefore enabled Israel to impose its control over two-thirds of the area of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The MP said that the ongoing negotiations resulted in more land grab and therefore should be stopped.
Youth groups in Al-Khalil province have called for organizing marches and angry protests on Sunday on the occasion of Land Day. The groups called on Saturday for massive rallies in Bab Al-Zawiya in central Al-Khalil, in Beit Ummar village and Aroub refugee camp to the north of Al-Khalil and in Tabaka village to the south of Al-Khalil.
They said that participants would march and confront Israeli occupation soldiers in various areas of the province on the occasion of Land Day.
The Israeli occupation forces, meanwhile, tightened restrictions and set up roadblocks on all roads leading to Al-Khalil province.
They said that participants would march and confront Israeli occupation soldiers in various areas of the province on the occasion of Land Day.
The Israeli occupation forces, meanwhile, tightened restrictions and set up roadblocks on all roads leading to Al-Khalil province.
A group of civil organizations operating in Morocco on Friday launched events to commemorate the Palestinian Land Day, which falls on March 30. The events started on Friday with a reception for the Palestinian activist Zaid Shuaibi, a member of the national committee for boycott, divestment and sanctions (against Israel), and an open meeting with activists in the central headquarters of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in Rabat.
These associations intend to stage a vigil on Sunday in the Moroccan capital Rabat, and on Monday they will organize a seminar with participation of the Palestinian activist Zaid Shuaibi and activist Sion Asidon, in Marrakech.
They also called upon all human rights, women and political organizations and all the freedom fighters to take part in these events, in support of the Palestinian people's struggle for their legitimate rights against the Israeli occupation and settlement activities.
The organizations participating in these actions include the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Initiative (BDS - Maroc), the Moroccan - Palestinian Solidarity Association, Moroccan Association for Human Rights, the Moroccan Observatory against Normalization, National Working Group for Palestine, the Moroccan Association for supporting the Palestinian struggle, and the National Union for higher education.
For its part, the al-Adl wal Ihsan group in Morocco called on all conscientious forces in the world, concerned with the Palestinian issue, to continue supporting the case and reveal the truth of the Israeli racism.
It urged in a statement on Friday published on its official website the activists and supporters of Jerusalem and Palestine to teach the nation's youth about the Arab - Israeli conflict, to present to the young generations the Palestinian cities, villages and holy sites, and to continue organizing solidarity activities including marches and meetings.
These associations intend to stage a vigil on Sunday in the Moroccan capital Rabat, and on Monday they will organize a seminar with participation of the Palestinian activist Zaid Shuaibi and activist Sion Asidon, in Marrakech.
They also called upon all human rights, women and political organizations and all the freedom fighters to take part in these events, in support of the Palestinian people's struggle for their legitimate rights against the Israeli occupation and settlement activities.
The organizations participating in these actions include the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Initiative (BDS - Maroc), the Moroccan - Palestinian Solidarity Association, Moroccan Association for Human Rights, the Moroccan Observatory against Normalization, National Working Group for Palestine, the Moroccan Association for supporting the Palestinian struggle, and the National Union for higher education.
For its part, the al-Adl wal Ihsan group in Morocco called on all conscientious forces in the world, concerned with the Palestinian issue, to continue supporting the case and reveal the truth of the Israeli racism.
It urged in a statement on Friday published on its official website the activists and supporters of Jerusalem and Palestine to teach the nation's youth about the Arab - Israeli conflict, to present to the young generations the Palestinian cities, villages and holy sites, and to continue organizing solidarity activities including marches and meetings.
Israeli forces hit a journalist with a tear gas canister during clashes in the Jerusalem governorate as Palestinians marked Land Day, a local popular committee spokesman said.
Hani Halabiyya told Ma'an that Palestinian journalist Rami Illariyya, who works for al-Quds newspaper, was targeted by Israeli troops and hit with a high-velocity tear gas canister in al-Eizariya.
Dozens of youths were hurt by tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets during clashes with Israeli forces in al-Eizariya and nearby Abu Dis, Halabiyya said.
He added that Israeli forces arrested 18-year-old Ahmad Khalid Warrad during the clashes, which lasted for over three hours.
An Israeli army spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Land Day commemoration marks the death of six Palestinian citizens of Israel, who took part in a general strike in protest of an Israeli decision to confiscate privately owned Palestinian lands in 1976.
Hani Halabiyya told Ma'an that Palestinian journalist Rami Illariyya, who works for al-Quds newspaper, was targeted by Israeli troops and hit with a high-velocity tear gas canister in al-Eizariya.
Dozens of youths were hurt by tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets during clashes with Israeli forces in al-Eizariya and nearby Abu Dis, Halabiyya said.
He added that Israeli forces arrested 18-year-old Ahmad Khalid Warrad during the clashes, which lasted for over three hours.
An Israeli army spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Land Day commemoration marks the death of six Palestinian citizens of Israel, who took part in a general strike in protest of an Israeli decision to confiscate privately owned Palestinian lands in 1976.
28 mar 2014
Israeli forces on Friday dispersed a protest commemorating Land Day in the Nablus village of Burin, a PA official said.
Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an that villagers had aimed to plant olives trees in Burin following the demonstration, but Israeli forces fired stun grenades and tear gas at the crowds.
A number of activists suffered tear gas inhalation.
The annual Land Day demonstration on March 30 marks the deaths of six Palestinian protesters at the hands of Israeli police and troops during mass protests in 1976 against plans to confiscate Arab land in Galilee.
Ghassan Daghlas told Ma'an that villagers had aimed to plant olives trees in Burin following the demonstration, but Israeli forces fired stun grenades and tear gas at the crowds.
A number of activists suffered tear gas inhalation.
The annual Land Day demonstration on March 30 marks the deaths of six Palestinian protesters at the hands of Israeli police and troops during mass protests in 1976 against plans to confiscate Arab land in Galilee.
High Monitoring Committee for Arab Citizens in the 1948 occupied Palestine decided to go on general strike on the 38th anniversary of the Land Day, which falls on March 30. Head of the Monitoring Committee Mohamed Zidan said in a press statement on Thursday that the committee has decided to commemorate the Land Day this year by a general strike and by organizing several events in rejection of the occupation policy of house demolitions and the seizure of Arab lands.
On 30 March 1976, thousands of Palestinians in 1948 territories gathered to protest Israeli government plans to expropriate thousands of dunums of Arab-owned land in the Galilee. In the resulting confrontations with Israeli police, six Palestinians were killed, hundreds wounded, and hundreds jailed.
Those events have become consecrated in the Palestinian memory as Land Day, which has become an Arab and Palestinian national event and a symbol of the unity of the Palestinian people.
The occupation authorities have confiscated between 1948 and 1972 more than one million dunums of the Arab lands in the Galilee and the Triangle area.
Millions of other dunums of lands were seized by the Israeli occupation after a series of appalling massacres committed by its forces and after the forcible deportations of Palestinians from their hometowns in 1948.
On 30 March 1976, thousands of Palestinians in 1948 territories gathered to protest Israeli government plans to expropriate thousands of dunums of Arab-owned land in the Galilee. In the resulting confrontations with Israeli police, six Palestinians were killed, hundreds wounded, and hundreds jailed.
Those events have become consecrated in the Palestinian memory as Land Day, which has become an Arab and Palestinian national event and a symbol of the unity of the Palestinian people.
The occupation authorities have confiscated between 1948 and 1972 more than one million dunums of the Arab lands in the Galilee and the Triangle area.
Millions of other dunums of lands were seized by the Israeli occupation after a series of appalling massacres committed by its forces and after the forcible deportations of Palestinians from their hometowns in 1948.
