Gaza commemorates Land Day

The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in the Gaza Strip has commemorated Land Day – March 30th – by planting tens of olive trees in the Jabaliya area.

The region was uncultivated before the Hamas-led government reached a truce with Israel; allowing farmers to cultivate the land. Recently, Malaysia has allocated nearly $400,000 to help farmers develop the land and plant more trees. But, despite the truce the Israeli jeeps patrolling the border area often shoot at the farmers and obstruct their work.

Palestinians commemorate Land Day on March 30 every year to commemorate the events of March 1976 when the Israeli authorities expropriated thousands of acres of land belonging to its Palestinian population. In protest, the Palestinians living in Israel declared a general strike and organised demonstrations throughout Arab towns and villages from the Galilee to the Negev that resulted in violent clashes between the protesters and the Israel police and army. As a result, six unarmed Arab citizens were killed, about one hundred were wounded, and hundreds others arrested..

MEMO Photographer: Mohammed Asad

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