May 2007

http://alawda.newjerseysolidarity.org

Day of the Land Marked in New Jersey

On March 31, 2007, New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine marked the Day of the Land with a teach-in and forum on the Palestinian struggle. The Day of the Land commemorates a 1976 general strike and demonstration by Palestinians inside Palestine ‘48, who were protesting the ongoing policies of land confiscation under the rubric of the “Judaization of the Galilee.” Their demonstrations were brutally attacked, and six Palestinians were martyred. Since that time, the day is marked annually by Palestinians and their supporters in Palestine and around the world, drawing specific attention to the struggle of Palestinians in Palestine ‘48, and all Palestinians’ commitment to the cause of liberating the land of Palestine from occupation and oppression. At the event, held at Old Bergen Church in Jersey City, Samia Halaby, Palestinian artist and activist, discussed the history of the Day of the Land, and drew connections between that history and the present time; Mae Ramadan, of the Palestinian American Organization of Rutgers University at Newark, discussed the student movement and the Rutgers - Newark students’ struggle to raise the Palestinian flag on campus; and Noel Winkler, of New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine, discussed the comparison of the Palestinian struggle to the South African national liberation struggle against apartheid, and discussed actions that solidarity activists can take to support Palestine. A lively discussion followed the panelists’ presentations.