Strengthening the Struggle on Palestinian Land Day
Newsletter ‘In Movement’ 3 (2024)
Internationalist greetings! This is the third issue of 2024’s International Peoples’ Assembly (IPA) Newsletter In Movement, in which we invite you to strengthen the struggle in solidarity with Palestine, demand an end to the Israeli occupation and an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people, and make the global call for mobilization on March 30th, Palestinian Land Day.
Palestinian Land Day emerged as a response by Palestinian movements, activists, intellectuals, and professionals to join forces, mobilize, and organize against the occupation of their land by the Israeli state. In 1976, Israel announced a plan to expropriate the land of the Palestinian people of Galilee to expand Zionist settlements. Thus, March 30, 1976, was declared a day of protest and strikes to defend Palestinian land.
Before the mass mobilization, Israeli security forces deployed thousands of soldiers and arrested local leaders in the threatened villages. On March 29th – the eve of Land Day – Israeli forces violently attacked and shot Palestinian villagers who had begun blocking major roads, injuring a large number of them. Protests in the villages continued the following day, March 30th, and six Palestinians were killed due to the brutal repression by the Israeli forces.
Mass mobilizations and strikes were also organized throughout Palestine in 1948, in the West Bank, Gaza, and refugee camps in Lebanon, in solidarity with and in defense of the territory. It was one of the first mobilizations held simultaneously in all Palestinian territories.
Land Day marked a turning point in the Palestinian struggle, and we celebrate it as a unified day of action that unites Palestinians worldwide and people worldwide in solidarity with Palestine.
In that sense, popular movements, political parties, trade unions, and collectives that are part of the IPA will mobilize on March 30th in a mass global day of action to:
- Put an end to the aggression and genocide of the Palestinian people by the Israeli Occupation Forces;
- End the occupation and stop the eviction project that includes the killing of Palestinians, the destruction of cities and basic infrastructure, starvation, deprivation of basic goods, displacement, and policies aimed at encouraging Palestinians to leave Palestine;
- Uphold the Palestinian people’s right to resistance;
- Guarantee the entry of humanitarian aid and the creation of humanitarian corridors;
- Release all Palestinian political prisoners;
- Eliminate U.S. bases throughout the Arab region.
March 30th will be a significant international event for the struggle for land and solidarity with the Palestinian people. Still, we also invite you to continue with the constant and ongoing mobilization for Palestine, the production and dissemination of art and communication materials to denounce the genocide and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, participation in boycotts and actions to denounce companies and governments that are in collusion with the Israeli state, the organization of initiatives to bring humanitarian aid to Palestine, and the creation of national and regional fronts to end normalization with Israel.
See you on the streets and social media for the global mobilizations on March 30th: Palestinian Land Day!
Updates
For a free and sovereign Haiti! | The Assembly of Caribbean People (ACP) issued a communiqué in response to the crisis and the latest events taking place in Haiti. In the text, the alliance says: “There must be no foreign military intervention – no US troops or troops from any other country in the Core Group, no troops from Kenya, no troops from CARICOM or any other state.” The ACP demands that regional and international organizations such as CARICOM, CELAC, and others stop recognizing the illegitimate Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry since such attitudes deepen the crisis that the country is going through rather than solving it. Finally, the ACP declares that it reiterates its support for “the Haitian people in their demand that there be no foreign military intervention in Haiti.” It also affirms that “the only way forward is for the Haitian people to be allowed to bring into being a Transitional Government as proposed by the Montana Accord.” Read the full communiqué here.
Poster gallery in solidarity with Palestinian women | On March 8th, International Women’s Day of Struggle, we promoted a global feminist artistic action between the IPA, ALBA Movements, the Utopix Collective, and Capire Media. Forty-four posters from 17 countries were published in defense of Palestine and in honor of the struggle of Palestinian women. Today and always, we stand in solidarity and unite in struggle with Palestinian women in defense of the life and territory of the Palestinian people and to put an end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Visit the gallery at: capiremov.org.
Actions in the Arab-Maghreb Region for Palestinian Women | In commemoration of International Working Women’s Day, the IPA in the Arab-Maghreb region sent out a call to all leftist, popular, and feminist organizations to designate March 8th, 2024, as a day of solidarity with Palestinian women and to denounce the genocide faced by the Palestinian people in Gaza. On March 8th and 9th, marches, vigils, artistic and cultural protests, demonstrations, and online solidarity festivals and seminars took place in several countries across the region, including Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, and Jordan, among others. One of these activities was organized by the IPA Women’s Group in the Arab-Maghreb region, which held an online Solidarity Festival for Palestinian Women, featuring speeches and interventions from various women from around the globe in support of the Palestinian people and condemnation of the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli occupation. Solidarity activities are ongoing until March 30th – Palestinian Land Day.
Solidarity between the South African and Palestinian peoples | The South African Shack Dwellers’ Movement – Abahlali baseMjondolo – expressed solidarity with Palestine during a visit by Gaza-based activist Professor Haidar Eid. At Abahlali’s Durban office, he led a discussion on political education and highlighted parallels between South Africa’s Apartheid struggle and Palestine’s struggle for freedom. Abahlali also reaffirmed their stance in solidarity with Palestine, advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemning Israel’s actions. The event was organized by Abahlali baseMjondolo, Pan Africa Today, Inkani Books, and the International People’s Assembly.
Celebrations on Ghana’s Day of Shame and in Honor of Kwame Nkrumah | On February 24th, the Socialist Movement of Ghana (SMG) commemorated Ghana’s Day of Shame this year with a book launch of the 4th Edition of Great Deception – How The CIA Overthrew Nkrumah. On the same day in 1966, a coup d’état carried out by a group of military officers and supported by the CIA took place in Ghana, leading to the overthrow of the government of Kwame Nkrumah, who was the country’s first president. This event marked the end of Nkrumah’s government, which was based on the pan-African project and socialism for Ghana. Dr. Yao Graham, Professor Akua Britwum, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research Director Vijay Prashad,, and many others attended the event held by the SMG on February 24th. You can watch the celebration here.
The Latin American and Caribbean people stand up in unity | Solidarity and internationalism were the banners of unity of “Nuestra América” (Our America) promoted at the Conference on the Integration of Latin American and Caribbean Peoples, which took place in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, on February 22nd and 23rd and was attended by nearly 4,000 activists and political leaders from more than 20 countries. During two intense days of work and debate, the region’s popular and trade union movements produced an important diagnosis of the current situation. In conclusion, a work plan was constructed based on proposals addressed to the governments with an agenda for integration and a final charter. Watch and share the video summary of the conference here.
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