HumanRights--Land Day!

Report from Mazin Qumsiyeh

*Injuries to our friends, death and mayhem on Land Day and the Global March
to Jerusalem*

This blog report is also posted at
http://popular-resistance.blogspot.com/2012/03/land-day.html where you can
leave comments

*Two of our  friends were among the over >150 people injured today by the
Israeli occupation forces.  Demonstrations were held in dozens of locations
in Palestine and the border areas of Palestine.*  Other demosntrations were
held for Land Day in cities around the world.  The ambulance took our
friend and home guest Don Bryant (US Citizen) to the hospital as he was hit
in the head by a tear gas canister.  We quickly gathered the rest of the
group and rushed to the hospital.  There we find many injured people (I
counted 8 in the emergency room and two at the X-ray).  One of the injured
there was our friend Yusef Sharqawi hit with a rubber-coated steel bullet
that fractured his shoulder blade. Mohamed Zakout, 20 year old was shot and
kileld by Israeli forces in Gaza as he participated in a demonstration near
the Erez checkpoint.  In Jerusalem, Israeli occupation forces used horses
to trample on people and arrested 36 individuals.  Before all is done
Israel will likely to arrest 300 people.   Below is our video and other
relevant videos.

Some of my students have more logic/sense than the political leadership of
the USA, Israel and the "Palestinian authority" combined.  For example,
last week we had a lively discussion about roles of politiciansin creating
the problems and perpetuuating the disastrous human rights violations here.
I don't teach this course human rights but I coach it so after we exchanged
significant information about these issues all of it showing the bad things
of politics (collaborations, agreements of surrender, etc), I asked to take
time for us to talk just about the positives (no negatives).  I was
surprised at some of the good comments that came out: persistance of the
Palestinain people, demonstrations and many forms of popular resistance
happening, the fact that rights are not lost for people even when their
leadershuip is corrupt and weak, the fact that many were
martyred/injured/imprisoned for their work for Palestine, the fact that
while some collaborated and even sold their conscience and tehir heritabe,
more simply refused ……

So it is that we can always look at the glass half empty or half full.  We
can always curse the darkness or light a candle and hope for the best.  We
can feel depressed and powerless or we can actually do something.  I was
anxious before the demonstrations today.  Our mind racing to worry about
level of participation/attendance and about Israeli authorities' violent
reaction to peaceful demonstrators (there is afterall a long history of
that including shooting at unarmed demonstrators). We have to remind myself
of the positives and forget all the  negatives (or at least just learn from
them lessons and keep them in the back of our mind).  The march was a
success even before it started.  The thousands who tried to arrive to us
here in Palestine got an education THROUGH the process of preparing to come
to nearby boerders and they each  told many othesr where they are going and
why.  This ripple effect that started montsh before today's events is
critical. Here are a few other positives before, during and after this
event today:

-37 Indian activists were stranded in a ship off the port of Beirut for 36
hours.  Activists in India mobilized speaking to parliamentarians and other
officials and the indian embassy was able to get the Lebanese government to
finally issue the visas for them.  This ensured atht more people because
aware of our predicament here: not onlt the Zionist regime but the
col;lusion sometiems of Arab regimes.  It also meant more avtivism in india
will be growing and more boycotts, divestments and sanctions.

- Hundreds of actvists from different countries did not know about each
other or their commen interests until this event. The process of linking
together via physical meetings and internet empowered many of tehm and they
became more active in tehir local communities.  I know of several example
where new projects (e.g. on boycotts divestment, sacnction, different ways
of media work etc) were started in some copuntries or localities because
they learned from the networking with other activists.

-Activists learned via doing how to work in team efforts, how to make
collective decisions etc.  These skills are useful for any kind of
collective work.

-The attempts by the Zionist manipulated media to hide and ignore the
brutality of the apartheid regime is backfiring.  More and more people
stopped seeking news via these corporate outlets and started to get news
directly via blogs, live feed, email etc.

-Israeli  Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai said about the events today
"It's important to remember that this is the first day. The Nakba and Naksa
days are ahead of us, and that is where the challenge will be."  It is
obvious that they start to worry!

I could go on to list a few more.  But we need now to focus on our next
events : the Welcopme to Palestine Campaign for 15-21 April.  We do need
people to work hard on this (volunteers are always welcome).  Action is the
best antidote to despair.

*Our video in Bethlehem: http://youtu.be/7U1qQVqVnsM*

Other videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVuxQJw-6TI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukH9VBD2Zeg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkF9awg-HPA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nffbnYZW4ws

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkaIs8s4i4Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXJnBZfX1GA


Pictures

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/30/10940732-violence-on-land-day-as-israeli-f
orces-and-palestinians-clash


Take action Land Day
http://www.stopthejnf.org/unitedstates_takeaction_landday2012.html

Israel Defense Ministry plan earmarks 10 percent of West Bank for
settlement expansion. Newly released maps indicate Civil Administration
secretly setting aside additional land for Jewish settlements, presumably
with the intention of expanding them. By Akiva Eldar

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-defense-ministry-plan-earmarks-10-per
cent-of-west-bank-for-settlement-expansion-1.421589

More links/news on this land day events

http://www.imemc.org/article/63234

http://www.imemc.org/article/63235

Thousands of demonstrators mark Land Day in Jordan

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Mar-30/168555-thousands-of-demonstrators
-mark-land-day-in-jordan.ashx#axzz1qc3PlPcd

Rabbis of Anti-Zionist Group Join Protest Marking Land Day on
Lebanon-Israel Border

http://tv.ibtimes.com/rabbis-of-anti-zionist-group-join-protest-marking-land-day-on-lebano
n-israel-border/4523.html

Why Land Day still matters: Today, with no resolution in sight to the
historic injustices inflicted upon them, Palestinians in Israel and
elsewhere use this day to remember and redouble their efforts for
emancipation.

By Sam Bahour and Fida Jiryis

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/why-land-day-still-matters-1.421606


Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD

http://qumsiyeh.org