Land Day

Land Day in the West Bank: The Baladi team was in two locations to document activities related to the commemoration of Land Day.

In March 1976 the State of Israel ordered the confiscation of 2000 hectares of land belonging to Palestinians citizens of Israel. Protests were organised by Palestinians on the 30th of March, from the Galilee all the way to the Negev desert. Israeli police responded with violence and opened fire against the protesters. Six Palestinians were killed and more than a hundred were injured. This day came to be known as Land Day (Yom al-ard) and Palestinians commemorate it every year to demonstrate their commitment to and intention to remain in their land.

If more than one million trees have been uprooted by the Israeli colonial power to build the Wall, the settlements, the checkpoints and apartheid roads, many more have been planted and cherished by Palestinians.

“I’m from Qalandiya. I’m proud to be from a Palestinian village whose residents are doing summoud on their lands. This is part of my land. I’m here today because if someone is coming here to show solidarity with me, I should be here also and stand for my land and plant with them. This land should have been used for agricultural crops such as wheat, but now the zionists don’t allow us to do work on the land. When we leave our lands we are actually helping them. This land is for Palestinians.”
Yousef Awadallah, 82 years old

The following photos were taken in Qalandiya village, on land which was divided by the Israeli Wall in an area where several homes were demolished, and in Al Khader, as part of an olive tree planting activity organized by To Be There, on land surrounded by Israeli settlements.