Palestinians Commemorate 41st Anniversary of Land Day
The PLO Delegation Commemorates 41st Anniversary of Palestinian Land Day
The General Delegation of the PLO to the United States joins the Palestinian people in Palestine and the Diaspora in commemorating Palestine’s 41st Land Day. On March 30, 1976, Israel announced plans to expropriate over 10,000 acres of land from Palestinian villages in the Galilee area. The Palestinians rose in the first act of mass, nonviolent resistance inside Israel to voice their strong opposition to the illegal expansionist practices by Israel. These peaceful protestors were met with violence by Israeli forces leaving six Palestinians dead, hundreds injured, and many more arrested.
Despite the objection of the Palestinian people as well as governments across the world, Israel continues its policy of confiscating Palestinian land in the occupied territories and in East Jerusalem, four decades after the original Land Day actions. The continued illegal Israeli settlement activity results in grave implications and seriously risks the prospects of peace in our region.
As we commemorate this occasion, the General Delegation of the PLO to the United States commends the Palestinian people for their steadfastness and unwavering commitment not only to their land, but also to their inalienable rights to independence and self-determination. No occupying power will manage to break our deep ties to our land and we will ceaselessly continue our efforts toward the creation of an independent Palestine.
Dome of the Rock view from Jerusalem street in Occupied Jerusalem. Photo courtesy Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
Click here to send Ray Hanania email.