Hundreds of people participated in a mass demonstration in the city of Arrabe. Many also demonstrated against demolitions in Um El Hiran, an unrecognized village in the Negev.
The events of Land Day took place on March 30th, 1976 in response to land confiscation of over 21,000 Dunams of Arab owned land in the Galilee. The General strike in 1976, declared by the committee of land defence, was peaceful but Israeli security forces tried to prevent the strike and as a consequence 6 Arab citizens were killed during the clashes.
On the Occasion of Land Day, The Mossawa Center printed Calendars with important Palestinian national dates and a drawing by Abed Abdi, the creator of the Land Day monument in Arrabe. 1000 copies were distributed at different events such as the march from Sakhneen to Arrabe on Land Day,a community event in the city of Rahat (Negev),an exhibition in Ramallah andthe opening of the Land Day exhibition in the triangle town of Tireh where the Mossawa Center and Abed Adbi were honoured for their work on the commemoration of Land Day. Further, Abed Abdi’s second sculpted monument was moved between the locations of Sakhneen, Tira and Ramallah to show the unity of the Palestinian people and the collective Palestinian commemoration of Land Day.
The Mossawa Center also printed 1000 copies of a book that documents the Land Dayof 1976 with pictures and testimonies that was distributed with the calendar at different events. Click here for our Book with historical documentation on Land Day (PDF)
We hope that Land Day will be long commemorated and not forgotten. During the next commemorationof Land Day in 2017 the Palestinian Community will also commemorate the 50thanniversaryof the ongoing occupation and 100 years since the Balfour Declaration in 1917.
