The time has come to allow ourselves to see this country not only as the battleground of a national struggle but as a shared homeland, which with painful concessions and tremendous confidence-building efforts on both sides, we can turn into a good place where our children will want to live. By Ron Gerlitz As Israel’s Jewish citizens celebrated the Passover holiday last month, its Arab citizens commemorated Land Day. Land Day is a commemoration of the death of six Arab demonstrators in 1976 while protesting massive government land expropriations in the Galilee for the purpose of building new Jewish communities.…

This week: commemorations of Land Day across Israel and the West Bank, solidarity marches in the South Hebron Hills, clashes ensue after a prisoner's death, an Israeli draft refuser, and South Africans march for justice.                    

In characterizing all non-violent Palestinian measures as terrorism, Israel insults the memory of victims of real acts of terror. By Lara Friedman Yesterday was Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Remembrance Day. Every year on this day Israelis stop to remember their fellow citizens who have given their lives for the sake of Israel, whether in wars or at the hands of terrorists. On this day, Israelis think a lot about terrorism. Israelis have a uniquely personal and painful understanding of what the word means.  Exploding packages and buses leave an indelible mark on any person possessing the eyes to see, the ears…

Reading the Washington Post online this morning I came across two articles from the Associated Press written about Land Day. The coverage struck me as particularly biased towards Israel, especially for a news agency that has the global reputation of merely reporting the news with the bare minimum of opinion or slant. I have personally met some high-ranking members of the AP staff in Jerusalem and I am well aware of their partisanship. My colleague Roi Maor already penned a piece about the Associated Press’ horrible coverage of the Mahmoud Abbas speech to the UN in September, but I thought…

Tens of thousands of people participated in Land Day demonstrations in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Negev and the Galilee, as well as in Jordan and Lebanon. One person was killed, many were injured - several critically - and several were arrested in clashes with the Israeli army and police. Hamas and Fatah also attacked demonstrators.  The village of Budrus was actually one of the quieter places to be today. This small yet ancient village, with lands on both sides of the green line, was one of the first to raise the flag of non-violent resistance…

What could have been an inspiring display of purposeful collective action turned out to be the opposite.     The Land Day commemoration at Qalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem was indicative of the state of the Palestinian cause, as supporters of different factions turned on each other in a ferocious rumble and the people were left protesting aimlessly. The annual demonstration, which takes place in different locations across the country, had a robust turnout at Qalandia but the lack of strong leadership and direction was noticeable. After the quarrel between supporters of Fatah, PFLP and Al-Mubadara (the Palestinian Initiative…

Some 1,000 Palestinians and internationals gathered outside the Qalandia checkpoint today to mark Land Day and to protest Israeli occupation, continued settlement of Palestinian land, and restrictions on freedom of movement. Israeli forces used rubber-coated bullets, tear gas, skunk water, and "the scream" acoustic weapon against demonstrators. Some Palestinian youth burned tires and threw stones. Israeli forces left the checkpoint area and entered Qalandia, effectively pushing protesters further back from the checkpoint. Speaking to +972, Dr. Zaid Atabeh of the Palestinian Authority-affiliated Military Medical Services said that 85 protesters had been injured, 12 of whom were hospitalized. All of the…

Haneen Zoabi, an MK from the Balad party, speaks to Elsa Rassbach about Land Day and her relationship as a Palestinian to Zionism and citizenship.  By Elsa Rassbach Since the 1980s, Palestinians have marked every March 30 with protests to celebrate Land Day.  The day commemorates the first widespread struggle of Arab Israelis against processes of land confiscation intended to create Jewish majorities in certain communities. The marches and general strikes began in the Galilee in 1976, and resulted in the killings of six unarmed Arab citizens of Israel. Solidarity protests spread to the occupied West Bank, Gaza and the refugee…