The Mossawa Center, Haifa. Friday 28th of March, 2014. This Sunday, March 30th will mark the 38th anniversary of "Land Day" or "Yom Al Ard". Land Day is the commemoration of protests which took place on March 30th 1976 that led to violent clashes between Arab citizens in Israel and the Israeli authorities.  The Land Day of 1976 was the first act of mass resistance by Palestinian citizens in Israel against internal occupation and the system of expropriation that reduced Arab land ownership.  As a result, Arab citizens planned a strike and day of Non violent protest turning March 30th into "Land Day." Thousands of Palestinian citizens in Israel gathered to protest the government's plan to expropriate Arab owned land in the Galilee, which led to clashes and the killing of six Palestinians and hundreds jailed.  This day has since been commemorated as Palestinian Land Day.  

Commemoration activities have been implemented throughout the last week of March by the Mossawa Center in cooperation with Arab local councils and NGOs.  Activities took place in villages and cities throughout the country including in the Carmel Center, the home of the Mossawa Center, the Committee for Educational Guidance for Arab Students and el Mashghal. Activities included theatrical performances, film screenings, poetry readings, educational speakers, photography and art exhibitions as well as an event hosted by Mossawa and CEGAS on March 27th which included a performance by local poets and the well known local musical artist, Alaa Azam. Furthermore, the Mossawa Center is currently in the process of publishing its Arabic Land Day publication in Hebrew and English,which includes a historical narrative, facts, statistics, and personal cases of land loss.