The new coronavirus has forced the Palestinians to hold digital and symbolic activities on the occasion of the Land Day, avoiding the usual massive gatherings.
The Palestinians demonstrated via electronic platforms, raised flags from their balconies and sang the Palestinian national anthem in some few gatherings. The “millions march”, which was scheduled in the Gaza Strip, was canceled. The event usually sees confrontations with Israeli soldiers along the border.
Saeb Erekat, Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee, said that Palestinians were facing “two pandemics.”
“While our entire people face the coronavirus, and is struggling to get rid of this pandemic to preserve human life… they are also confronting the colonial occupation with a steadfast spirit and an intransigent resolve,” he stressed.
Hanan Ashrawi, member of the PLO Executive Committee, said the leadership and the people were determined to move forward in the popular resistance “to achieve legitimate national rights.”
“We call on our people in this difficult period, to stay home, to adopt all health protection measures approved by the Palestinian Prime Minister, to intensify interaction on social media, and to conduct campaigns that address the peoples of the world,” she said.
Palestinian factions, including Fatah, Hamas and Jihad, are committed to the land and to the resistance against Israel, Ashrawi underlined.
Each year, on March 30, the Palestinians commemorate Land Day, which dates back to 1976, when the occupation authorities seized about 21,000 dunums in Palestinian villages.
In the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian factions canceled the “millions march” to abide by the state of emergency. The authorities asked the residents to raise the Palestinian flags in the sky and “burn the flag of the Zionist occupation” as a symbolic gesture.
