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Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images
Palestinian schoolgirls walk past Israeli border policemen standing guard outside a Palestinian house in the center of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after dozens of Jewish settlers took over the Palestinian property overnight, claiming they have legal ownership.
RAMALLAH, West Bank – Palestinian organizers are calling for massive demonstrations on Friday to mark Land Day, an annual event that commemorates the killing of six Arabs who were protesting Israeli land policies on March 30, 1976.
Tens of thousands are expected to participate in what organizers have billed a "Global March to Jerusalem." The plan is to have protesters from neighboring countries march up to the Israeli border to "demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians and to protect Jerusalem," according to organizers.
The future status of Jerusalem is at the heart of the Palestinian movement and is the theme for the global Land Day. East Jerusalem is regarded as the likely capital of a future Palestinian state.
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian activist, explained some of the reasoning for the march to NBC News during a recent interview in Ramallah.
For Palestinian farmer, a constant reminder of Israeli occupation
For many Palestinians, Land Day is an annual opportunity to demonstrate that Palestinians inside Israel, the West Bank and Gaza are united and share common goals.
This year will mark 36 years since Israel’s practice of expropriating Arab land to build Jewish settlements provoked protests by Arab residents in the Galilee and Negev. In addition to the six people who were killed, over 100 wounded during the ensuing violence. Since then Palestinians have commemorated March 30 as Land Day and have turned the day into a general protest against what they see as discriminatory practices by the Israeli government. So it seemed an appropriate date for activists to hold their march.
Menahem Kahana / AFP - Getty Images
An Israeli settler looks out the window of an occupied Palestinian house as an Israeli soldier stands guard in the center of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on March 29, 2012. Dozens of Jewish settlers took over the Palestinian property overnight, claiming they have legal ownership.
"The Global March to Jerusalem represents three things," said Barghouti. "First of all, the unity of the Palestinian people, and their struggle to achieve freedom and end occupation, for Palestinians in and out of Palestine; second, it affirms the centrality of the issues of land and Jerusalem to achieving Palestinian freedom; and third, it provides international solidarity with the Palestinian cause."
'Absolutely peaceful'
The organizers plan to send convoys of vehicles to approach Israel's borders simultaneously from four neighboring countries: Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. According to organizers, more than 600 institutions from 64 states have been involved in planning the march. Protests are also planned outside Israeli embassies in Europe and Arab countries. Organizers say they are hoping for 1 million people to demonstrate in various protests all over the world.
"The event is meant to be a non-violent protest that will include parliament members, citizens and religious figures from all over the world – including Jews, Israelis will also protest with us," Saied Yaqin, one of the march organizers, told NBC News.
Organizers of the march insist the protests will be orderly.
"This march is absolutely peaceful and non-violent, and we will try everything possible to prevent violence," Barghouti said. "Of course, if they use violence against us, the world should protest. But the march is absolutely peaceful and nobody will try to provoke violence."
But Israeli Defense Forces aren’t taking any chances.
A statement released by the IDF said they are "prepared for any eventuality and will do whatever is necessary to protect Israeli borders and residents."
Israel has also issued a stern warning to Arab countries and Palestinians to refrain from approaching the border.
Soldiers along the border have been instructed to be on high alert and they will reportedly have crowd-dispersal means at the ready and will also deploy marksmen. According to a Haaretz report, a so-called "skunk" device is being prepared that sprays a harsh-smelling substance at demonstrators.
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Listen up....all this article is is the ones that wrote it and their opinion on how "they" see the situation and their hatred for israeli...i don't see any counter argument...so anything you read here is bias and can't be taken as absolute truth.
I echo every comment StewGott made ( hey jonathan is a certified Hindu who again wants our forces to fight his war against Muslims and Pakistan in particularour , yet again putting prized and Promising Young men in the line of fire for his selfish gains )
@ All of you idiots that think you know what you are talking about but have no clue! @Bart- The Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren recently wrote an article in the Washignton Post about how great Israel was for the Christians. One little hitch. Members of every major Christian Church and Christian orginization in Palestine and around the world called bullsh*t on the article and said plain and clear that they stand with their Muslim brother and the OCCUPATION has done the most damage to Christians in Palestine. Just look at all the illegal settlements surrounding Bethlehem. A recent survey showed that the Christians fear the Israelis more than their Muslim neighbors, and those living in the West Bank cannot vist Christian sites in Jerusalem.
@Jonathan- What the hell are you talking about? Do you even know?
@Justified Defiance - Read a book. The 1967 war began with a pre-emptive strike by Israel. Hard to bomb all of the Egyptian Air Force than claim self-defense. Either way it would be irrelevant. Security Council Resolution 242 states that land CANNOT be taken by force as does the Geneva Convention. You ask would the Arabs or the USA give the land back? Well I think that answer is pretty obvious. Germany and Japan are not the 51st and 52nd state, so there's your answer. The Israelis returned the Siani to Egypt and got over 30 years of Peace in regards to Egypt. Its funny that your obviously too stupid to see the irony in your comment about the Armenians. The Palestinans are being massacered simply for asking for their land back, and yes it is
@Thatguy - So then I can assume you support Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and every other group trying to re-claim their homeland. I mean it is a war right? I think that you are overlooking one very important fact. Might does not equal right. If Native Americans rose up and ethnically cleansed the rest of the country you actually think that would be their right? Using that logic the Holocust and every other genocide would be "right" Maybe you should re-think your logic there buddy
@CBurroughs - I understand that in your little myopic pea brain you might actually believe the bullsh*t you're saying, but consider the fact that a majority of the World's population do not believe in YOUR God making your claim null in void. Since you want to use that argument though I could point out that before the creation of Israel the Ultra-Orthodox Jews all opposed the State. Now why would the most religious among them oppose the state if it was God's plan like you state? Maybe because good Jews who follow the Torah and Talmud know that the land should not have been reclaimed until a sign from God was given, which they don't believe it was. I also think this is funny coming from a Christian. Your support of Israel is premised on the fact that you believe it will bring about the Second coming of Christ and lead to the death of just about all these Jews you feign interest in.
@CB - Just google Christian response to ambassador Oren. Don't make others do your homework. If you want to enter an adult conversation bring facts, not the Bible.
@Ed- That might be nice in Ed's world, but here in the real world we do have International Law, including UNSC resolutions that are legally binding. Im sure you have never heard of such things, but one of those resolution, 242 to be exact starts off by saying that it does not recognize the aquistion of land by force. You sir are simply a racist which is very evident in the fact that you say the Arabs have no right to self-determination. The settlements were on land that was previously empty? Where do you idiots come from? Hebron was one of the largest Arab cities with a population of over 100,000 and now is surrounded and seperated by illegal settlements. Get a clue. This is why most stupid-ass Americans support Israel, because they don't have the slightest idea what they are talking about but swear their experts. Read a book on pre-partition Palestine and come back when you have a clue. Oh and by the way Israel launched a suprise attack on Egypt and thats what started the 1967 war, but Im sure you already knew that
m the fool who references books with things called facts, while you use a fairytale to justify the oppression of one group over another. Hahahaha...........I thought the Jews considered themselves a race dumb f*ck! I didn't know God gave people the right to steal from others than kill them in droves if they protest. Great God you got jackass!
#6.11 - Thu Mar 29, 2012 3:42 PM EDT
stewgotts
Oh well that makes since. You have already dispossesed your Catholic brothers so now you support the Jews doing the same to the Arab Christians and Muslims. Thanks for that clarification
The posts by StewGott, RalpH, US Army VEt were eye popping . How facts are toppled by fiction . We need to save our beloved USA from all this fictionilists
RalphH
After WW2 the nations of the world decided that rules had to be put in place to stop wars for territorial gain. Those rules prohibit a nation from defeating another and then claiming their land. Israel is in violation of those rules, by occupying Palestinian land in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
“In violation of international law, Israel has confiscated over 52 percent of the land in the West Bank and 30 percent of the Gaza Strip for military use or for settlement by Jewish
civilians...From 1967 to 1982, Israel’s military government demolished 1,338
Palestinian homes on the West Bank. Over this period, more than 300,000
Palestinians were detained without trial for various periods by Israeli
security forces. “Intifada: The Palestinian Uprising Against Israeli
Occupation,” ed. Lockman and Beinin.
World opinion on the legality of Israeli control of the West Bank and Gaza.
“Under the UN Charter there can
lawfully be no territorial gains from war, even by a state acting in
self-defense. The response of other states to Israel’s occupation shows a
virtually unanimous opinion that even if Israel’s action was defensive, its retention
of the West Bank and Gaza Strip was not...The [UN] General Assembly
characterized Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza as a denial of self
determination and hence a ‘serious and increasing threat to international peace
and security.’ “ John Quigley, “Palestine and Israel: A Challenge to
Justice.”
US Army Vet-4558908
Archeim
What part of 1,500 Americans dying as a direct result of Jonahathan Pollard's treason do you not understand? He should have actually been executed for this!
Pollard gave US Secrets, and exposed operatives to israel who then gave this info to the USSR!
You also forget about the Rosenburgs that were executed for thier treason!
Let's also not forget about Richard Pearl (Member of PNAC, Project for a New American Century but actually "israeli firsters") who was kicked out of the US Government years ago for spying for AIPAC (israeli gov. org.), yet was allowed back in during dubya, or "Scooter" Libby who was pardoned by dubya!
I forget his name, but there was also a jewish US Service Member that was caught syping for israel a few years back!
Anyone see a similar type people involved here?
Try reading "Zionism Unmasked" by Dr. Alan Sabrosky, Former Director of Studies for the US Army War College, and Marine Vietnam Veteran.
When it comes down to it, their loyalties WILL NOT be to the US!
did anyone actually notice the captions under the pictures ??? soldiers guarding a propertythat the jews took overnight from Palestinian families . i wonder what would happen if a group of Palestinians marched in and took over a property from jewish families in the middle of the night ??? we all know what would happen, the jewish army would storm in and eradicate the Palistinians.
then they government would start crying to Obama that they were under attack by the palastinians and had to take serious armed action to protect their people and borders
When the New Solomon, (The Hidden One), comes he will give one choice to the Jew (Israelis) and Half-Jew (Palestinians), Brothers, since they were both Fathered by Abraham, and Cursed with the Curse of Cain (Brother against Brother). Either you two put an end to your Curse of Cain (Woe to those who choose sides in this "Family Problem"- For they will suffer the fate of Apples when a "Rotten" Apple is added to the mix! Unite and Make Jerusalem, a Free City, in fact make it the Capital of Planet Earth, such that when Extraterrestrials visit our Planet, that is where they should land to communicate with Humans! Jerusalem, not owned by Jews, nor Half-Jews, but by the Non-Jews and Non-Half-Jews (The rest of the World). Perhaps the extrasterrestrials will see that we can be "Mature" and finally "Stop" avoiding us and make contact. But JerusaLem, should be the WorldCapital,and the United Nations should be stationed there(In Jerusalem), and not New York City. Police Forces would be given to those who are neither Jews or Half Jews, but they shall be allowed to live in Jerusalem.
The other choice given by the "Hidden One" is the "Demolition" of the entire city, after evacuating the population living there. And the Dust of this "Bloody City", will be put into small Necklace Jars to be given to those who lived there. No one will be permitted to rebuild that "Bloody City"!
The Hidden One will come from the American Hemisphere, but not the United States (Which are really Dis-United States!) For a God who could "Hide" the American Continent from the "East" has "Nurtured" the "Hidden One", and the "Hidden One" may be a "Woman". God is Great indeed! Treat your women well if you know whats good for you. Glory to the "Hidden One"! Peace!
Ban all beliefs in this world. What has the belief of certain gods or whatever gotten us besides 1,000 of wars .