On Friday, March 28th the villagers of al-Masara will hold a non-violent demonstration to commemorate Land Day and voice their opposition to the annexation wall and settlement expansion. This will be the 60th demonstration held in the village since 2007.
Land Day falls on March 30 and marks the 1976 killings of Palestinian Israelis who were holding non-violent demonstrations against Israeli confiscation of Palestinian land. The Israeli army and Israeli police opened fire on the demonstrators, killing six. Since then, March 30 has been a celebration of Palestinian non-violent resistance to Israeli occupation and continued land theft.
Israel’s most successful land theft tools are the annexation wall and the settlements. Al-Masara is highly affected by both, with much of the village’s land stolen by the wall and the settlement of Efrat very nearby. The villagers will be demonstrating against the wall as well as Israel’s recent approval for Efrat to build 54 new units on the confiscated land of al-Masara.
The people of al-Masara are inviting Palestinian, international, and Israeli activists to join them on Friday at 10:30 AM at the entrance to the village of al-Marasa, near Umm Salamona, in the Hebron district. The demonstrators will march to the wall and hold the demonstration there.
For more information, please contact Mahmoud Jawara at 0522591386 or 0599586004.
The ISM media office can also be contacted at 022 971 824.