LEBANON / JORDAN: Land Day commemorates the killing by Israeli security forces of six Arabs in 1976 during protests against government plans to confiscate land in northern Israel's Galilee region

Record ID: 406539

  • Title: LEBANON / JORDAN: Land Day commemorates the killing by Israeli security forces of six Arabs in 1976 during protests against government plans to confiscate land in northern Israel's Galilee region
  • Date: 31st March 2012
  • Summary: ARNOUN, LEBANON (MARCH 30, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WITH PALESTINIAN FLAGS MARKING LAND DAY PALESTINIAN FLAGS VARIOUS OF WOMEN CHANTING AND DANCING VARIOUS OF PROTESTER MAKING VICTORY SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) WISSAM AL HASSAN, OF PALESTINIAN PARTY HAMAS, SAYING: ''Today, after 60 years, we are raising the banner of defiance and we insist on returning. We have to uproot the usurping Zionist entity from our land and we have to liberate Palestine, all of Palestine, from its sea to its river.'' VARIOUS OF WOMEN IN CROWD SINGING ALONG TO MUSIC AND WAVING PALESTINIAN FLAGS MEN AND BOYS WITH PALESTINIAN FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PROTESTER ABU SALAH, SAYING: ''To me, this day means the day of holding on to my land, and the right of return, and the liberation of all of Palestine, and returning to it.'' VARIOUS MORE OF PROTEST ISRAELI SIDE OF THE BORDER SEEN FROM THE SITE OF THE PROTEST IN ARNOUN JORDAN VALLEY, JORDAN (MARCH 30, 2012) (REUTERS) ROAD SIGNS IN ARABIC AND ENGLISH GIVING DIRECTIONS TO DEAD SEA AND BAPTISM SITE DEMONSTRATORS AT RALLY VARIOUS OF WOMEN PROTESTERS CHANTING AND WAVING PALESTINIAN FLAGS PLACARD READING IN ARABIC "JERUSALEM, CITY OF PEACE" VARIOUS OF MEN SITTING ON THE GROUND DURING RALLY PROTESTERS CARRYING PALESTINIAN FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR NAHEELA OWEIDHA, SAYING: "Someone came from Greece especially and another person who came from Switzerland, they are Palestinians, they can't go back to Jerusalem or to Safad. But they came just to see it from far. It's really hurting, it hurts a lot."
  • Embargoed: 15th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon, Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: History,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA1GICZY9899N45R7FGKT7PI8R
  • Story Text: Hundreds of Palestinians and Lebanese gathered in southern Lebanon on Friday (March 30) to mark Land Day. The demonstration took place under heavy security presence by the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers.
    The protesters gathered near the border with Israel in the village of Arnoun, site of the historic Beaufort Castle, holding Palestinian flags and chanting slogans.
    Land Day commemorates the killing by security forces of six Arabs in 1976 during protests against government plans to confiscate land in northern Israel's Galilee region.
    Palestinian organisers have called for a peaceful rally and a ''Global March to Jerusalem'' to mark the day with protests in Lebanon, Jordan and the West Bank.
    For many Palestinians in Lebanon, marking Land Day carriesa lot of meaning.
    ''Today, after 60 years, we are raising the banner of defiance and we insist on returning. We have to uproot the usurping Zionist entity from our land and we have to liberate Palestine, all of Palestine, from its sea to its river," said Wissam Al-Hassan, who is responsible for international relations in Hamas.
    ''To me, this day means the day of holding on to my land, and the right of return, and the liberation of all of Palestine, and returning to it," said Palestinian refugee Abu Salah.
    The UN refugee agency UNRWA says 433,000 Palestinians are registered with it in Lebanon. Many of those Palestinians insist on returning to their homes in Israel or the Palestinian Territories as part of a peace settlement.
    Lebanese and Israeli security are present on both sides of the border to avoid a repeat of violence that flared last May when six Palestinians were killed during the protest when they charged towards the barbed wire seperating the two countries.
    On the Jordanian-Israeli border, demonstrators also gathered to mark Land Day.
    Among the protesters there were Palestinians living in Europe and other parts of the world.
    "Someone came from Greece especially and another person who came from Switzerland, they are Palestinians, they can't go back to Jerusalem or to Safad. But they came just to see it from far. It's really hurting, it hurts a lot," said Nahela Owidah, who is originally from Jerusalem.
    Jews from the movement Jews United Against Zionism joined Palestinians in calling for an end to the Israeli occupation.
    "We are here to join the global march for Jerusalem here in Jordan and we are right by the border of the state of Israel, the historic occupied Palestine. We are here to say that the occupation Jerusalem, the occupation in Palestine is wrong. This is not Judaism, this is not the voice of Jews. This is a catastrophe for the Palestinian people. We may not allow this to continue. This is an embarrassment to us all that this is continuing for so long. This is against Judaism," said Rabbi David Feldman.
    Jordan is home to more than two million registered Palestinian refugees.
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