March 30 commemorates the Land Day, when—in 1976— a general strike and marches were organized in Palestinian towns from the Galilee to the Negev in response to Israel’s announcement that it would expropriate Palestinian land for “security and settlement purposes.” The 1976 protests are recognized as the starting point of the organized Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation and abuse, and are commemorated annually; often these protests turn violent. This Friday, the 2012 protests may become especially so, after former Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who is jailed in Israel, published a special message calling on the Palestinians to launch a widespread resistance against Israel.

Marwan Barghouti Jerusalem, January 25, 2012

Lod - Land Day 2011

Marwan Barghouti's words are significant. Regarded as a leader of the First and Second Intifadas, Barghouti supported the peace process, but in 2000 he became disillusioned. He became the main figure behind the Second Intifada—also known as Al-Aqsa Intifada— in the West Bank. He was referred to by Uri Avnery as "Palestine’s Mandela." In 2002 Barghouti was arrested in Ramallah by the IDF and Israeli authorities accused him of murder of Israeli civilians and attacks on Israeli soldiers. He was tried and convicted on charges of murder, and sentenced to five life sentences. Marwan Barghouti refused to present a defense to the charges brought against him, maintaining throughout that the trial was illegal and illegitimate. Nowadays, he is seen as the only contender who can beat Hamas and become the next Palestinian President.

Moreover, Marwan Barghouti occupies a place of honor in the memory of all Israelis, due to things said by one of his lawyers. Shamai Leibowitz is an Israeli lawyer, better known for being the son of the polemic Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz (see Diskotel). During his defense of Barghouti, he compared Barghouti to Moses. He said in the Israeli court: “According to some lawyers, he should be called a terrorist, but according to Exodus, he is a freedom fighter.” Mr. Leibowitz argued that Moses killed an Egyptian not because he hated Egyptians but because the man was beating a fellow Jew. While the Israeli audience was shocked, Barghouti smiled.

Hence, Barghouti’s words are significant. The message he delivered last Monday was clear: “The Palestinian Authority must stop all cooperation with Israel—economy and security—and work toward Palestinian reconciliation,” he said and added: “It must be understood that there is no partner for peace in Israel when the settlements have doubled, it is the Palestinian people’s right to oppose the occupation by all means, and the resistance must be focused on the 1967 territories.”

Crusader Chateau de Beaufort, Lebanon | Can land be owned?

Bracing up for Land Day

Following Barghouti’s message, the IDF is bracing for an especially violent Land Day this Friday. The day of the week is relevant; protests will intensify as believers leave the mosques after the midday prayers. Such IDF operations are done in coordination with the security forces of the Palestinian Authority, which in fact are part of the Israeli establishment (see Abu Fadi: A Credible Conspiracy). However, demonstrators can also be seen across the Lebanese and Syria borders; last year, demonstrators were assassinated by the IDF on Syrian land during the Naqsa Day, commemorating the anniversary of the outbreak of the Six-Day War. Israeli officials have declared that they expect harsh demonstrations across the Lebanese border, especially at the Crusader Chateau de Beaufort, a fort which became a strategic point in the Israeli occupation of Lebanon. Israel approached the Lebanese government demanding help to prevent demonstrators from approaching the border with Israel; it seems the Lebanese army plans to deploy forces in the area. On the Syrian side there is nobody to talk with due to the ongoing civil unrest.

Yet, the center of the events would be in the West Bank. In recent years, violence was focused in Bil'in and Na'alin near the security barrier, the Qalandiyah checkpoint north of Jerusalem, and the village of Nabi Saleh (see Israel Gasses to Death), west of Ramallah. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem might also be the location of major protests, especially after Friday prayers end. Israel has already deployed crowd-dispersal equipment—including the new “skunk” device, which sprays a particularly harsh-smelling substance—and marksmen.

I want to ask these marksmen—a sanitized word for “assassins”—a simple question. You serve the State of Israel in an organization named “Israel Defense Forces,” but what exactly are you defending? Are you defending land stolen from others? You were taught in Israeli schools—as I was—that all Germans were guilty of the Nazi regime crimes because they had the moral obligation to refuse illegal orders. So do you for illegitimate orders given by the State of Israel. I ask you to refuse to shoot at demonstrators protesting the violation of their legitimate rights by your employer, the State of Israel. Say “no!” and prove you are worthy humans. I know you won’t read the New Testament, thus let me ask you to remember a crucial verse in Leviticus 19:18: “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.” Can you understand this simple message?

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