Around this time in 1976, 2,100 hectares of land owned by Palestinians in the Galilee were confiscated by Israel. 3,925 football fields of long-established villages, family homes, and farmland. We are reminded of this immense loss on March 30, or Land Day. Although a closer look at this day 49 years ago paints a much fuller picture extending far beyond loss. March 30th commemorates the organized resistance and mobilization of Palestinians in defense of their land. 

It must be noted that Israel made attempts to displace Palestinians long before 1976 in abrupt and discreet ways. Whether it be through an unprovoked demolition of houses, or rejecting permits and raising property taxes, all land confiscation must be considered illegal when done by an occupying force against a native population.  No level of bureaucratic disguise can lessen Palestinian’s connection to their land or their will to defend it. Nor should we forget that the colonizing power of Israel understood this very clearly; in the words of Vladimir Jabotinsky, who cofounded the Zionist paramilitary, Irgun, Palestinians “look upon Palestine with the same instinctive love and true fervor that any Aztec looked upon his Mexico, or any Sioux looked upon his prairie.” 

Palestinian political activists and intellectuals formed the National Committee for the Defense of Arab Land in Israel in 1975 to inspire Palestinians to resist expulsion. This huge mobilization resulted in a declaration against Israel’s land expropriation and call for a general strike if policies were not abandoned. When Israel decided to take more land, Palestinians were ready to fight back.  

And so, Land Day came to be. Demonstrators took to the streets to block military vehicles from entering villages and to protest dispossession. Palestinians put their bodies on the line against soldiers, establishing a total strike in nearly all Arab towns and villages in Palestine. Their bravery was met with violent pushback, resulting in the death of  Raja Abu Rayya, Khidr Khalayleh, Khadija Shawahna, Khayr Yassin, Muhsin Taha, and Ra’fat Zuheiri. Many more were injured and detained.  

UPA mourns the death of the unarmed Palestinians killed by Israel and recognizes how this historical movement established Palestine’s legacy of steadfastness, resistance and solidarity. Land Day continues to serve as a reminder to all that even against adverse odds, our people’s continued fight for liberation is an inspiration to all who stand for dignity and justice.