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Protestors carry Palestinian flags during the 32nd Land Day procession in Jaffa on Friday. (Dan Keinan)
Last update - 20:13 29/03/2008
Israeli Arabs mark 32nd annual Land Day with Wadi Ara, Negev protests
By Yoav Stern and Yigal Hai, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Jaffa, Israel, Arab, Land Day

Israeli Arabs marked the 32nd annual Land Day on Saturday in protests in Wadi Ara and the Negev, a day after Jaffa hosted the event's main procession for the first time.

On Saturday, a protest convoy departed from Umm al-Fahm and headed towards Qalansua, where demonstrators gathered at a home that has been ordered demolished.

I
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n the Negev, Israeli Arab political parties and movements held events in several unrecognized Bedouin villages.

The first Land Day protests were held on March 30, 1976, to protest government expropriations of Galilee land for "security and settlement purposes." Those protests deteriorated into violent clashes with security forces, leaving six Arab protestors dead.

In Friday's procession, Balad Chairman Jamal Zahalka said Friday that the Israeli Arab community would not permit what he termed another expulsion from Jaffa.

"Sixty years ago there was a mass expulsion from Jaffa," he told the procession, the first to be held in the mixed Arab and Jewish town. "We won't let the expulsion happen again."

Zahalka's comments came as the government and the Tel Aviv municipality plan to demolish 500 homes in Jaffa. "If the government and municipality are interested in expulsion, they are imposing on us a conflict that we do not want, but one which we will face and realize our right to defend our homes," he said.

The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee decided to hold the procession in Jaffa for the first time, due to a request by an organization of the town's residents, who said the procession was especially important due to the lack of housing options for Arab residents.

Organizers have defined the Jaffa procession as a Arab-Jewish protest march.

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      1.   The land grab continues? 17:48  |  gearoid 28/03/08
      2.   Yet another biased article 17:51  |  Gili 28/03/08
      3.   Call what you want..... 17:59  |  Joe 28/03/08
      4.   Are They Providing Housing for the Arab Residents? 18:00  |  Yaakov Sullivan 28/03/08
      5.   The Israeli Arabs are ?Palestinians?. 18:01  |  Jean Van Daem 28/03/08
      6.   Arabs i Jaffa 18:15  |  Adolf Glizenstein 28/03/08
      7.   20% of population has a stranglehold on the rest of Israel 18:15  |  Absolute Sweden 28/03/08
      8.   Typical half truths from terrorist supporters 18:17  |  Gee 28/03/08
      9.   Stupid newspaper 18:17  |  Feliks Laser 28/03/08
      10.   Gili, enlighten us 18:30  |  Ibrahim 28/03/08
      11.   Land Grab? 18:31  |  Edifice 28/03/08
      12.   Be strong Israel! Demolish illegal homes 18:55  |  Barry 28/03/08
      13.   Who is running haaretz? 18:57  |  Jordan 28/03/08
      14.   Israeli Jews know no shame (neither do many in the diaspora) 19:07  |  Chanalau, Tova 28/03/08
      15.   Morals and ethics are on your side, defend your homes at any cost 19:24  |  anti-racist 28/03/08
      16.   Gushkatif 19:36  |  Edifice 28/03/08
      17.   To Gerry in Belfast 19:48  |  Peter 28/03/08
      18.   To Gerry in Belfast 19:48  |  Peter 28/03/08
      19.   Why proud Palestinians don`t want to be Palestinians? 20:53  |  Alain 28/03/08
      20.   #10 Excuse me? 20:56  |  Gili 28/03/08
      21.   We won`t allow another expulsion of Jews and Bulgarians from Jaff 21:16  |  Sal 28/03/08
      22.   Jaffa 22:03  |  Hilda 28/03/08
      23.   haaretz 22:04  |  richthofen 28/03/08
      24.   To Peter N.I. 22:09  |  Sean 28/03/08
      25.   How often???? 22:10  |  Janice 28/03/08
      26.   To brain-dead Peter in NI 22:31  |  Nigel 28/03/08
      27.   Amidar 22:41  |  Nigel 28/03/08
      28.   Amidar 22:54  |  Nigel 28/03/08
      29.   Alain #19 23:04  |  Nigel 28/03/08
      30.   If only we might expell them 23:08  |  trumpeldor 28/03/08
      31.   It looks and smells like treachery 23:11  |  JOJO (USA) 28/03/08
      32.   Janice #25 23:13  |  Gee 28/03/08
      33.   How quickly Israel bashers jump on a half truth! 23:30  |  Realist 28/03/08
      34.   Soviet Israel 23:44  |  Danite 28/03/08
      35.   Hilda... 00:25  |  Nigel 29/03/08
      36.   #7 Poor babies 00:50  |  Denise 29/03/08
      37.   #12 are you kidding? 00:52  |  Denise 29/03/08
      38.   They do not have shame 00:55  |  Denise 29/03/08
      39.   Israeli-Arabs, like African Americans. 01:14  |  ottomatik 29/03/08
      40.   wonderful news that balad is back in service 01:54  |  hal tripp 29/03/08
      41.   It is very discouraging 03:34  |  Mark Lincoln 29/03/08
      42.   Chanalau, Tova 04:02  |  alan 29/03/08
      43.   "Nigel" is spamming Haaretz 04:10  |  The Real Nigel 29/03/08
      44.   Right Tova, you know no shame 05:03  |  Man deVoshkes 29/03/08
      45.   It`s Jewish Land, Period 05:12  |  Ron 29/03/08
      46.   Whoo, foam everywhere, especially at the Jew-haters 05:28  |  Man deVoshkes 29/03/08
      47.   Why are the European immigrant ethnically cleansing the lands? 06:16  |  POP 29/03/08
      48.   lots of questions 06:40  |  rm 29/03/08
      49.   trumpeldor 06:50  |  rondi 29/03/08
      50.   Lebensraum 09:54  |  mark 29/03/08
      51.   Lebensraum 09:55  |  mark 29/03/08
      52.   #10 Ibrahim, the answer lies at JPost.com 2nd try 12:41  |  MaryRose 29/03/08
      53.   Janice #25 15:24  |  George Kaplan 29/03/08
      54.   To Rondi re: Jewish community 16:38  |  David James Vickery 29/03/08
      55.   To Trumpeldor 17:20  |  Colin 29/03/08
      56.   the land grab does continue but it is resisted 18:00  |  Deborah 29/03/08
      57.   #1 18:16  |  Jane 29/03/08
      58.   Jane.... 19:06  |  David James Vickery 29/03/08
      59.   #58 19:35  |  Jane 29/03/08
      60.   #25 19:39  |  Jane 29/03/08
      61.   A storm in a tea spoon. Arabs use any opportunity, real or fake, 19:56  |  Man deVoshkes 29/03/08
      62.   Choice of focus 20:28  |  Curious 29/03/08
      63.   Land Day in Amsterdam 20:41  |  Dutch Dirk 29/03/08
      64.   #58 21:54  |  Jane 29/03/08
      65.   #63 Jane 22:21  |  Janice 29/03/08
      66.   You are all missing out on the REAL land grab 22:23  |  Yonatan 29/03/08
      67.   "The Real Nigel" and others 22:48  |  Nigel 29/03/08
      68.   Jane, I apologize 22:50  |  David James Vickery 29/03/08
      69.   #61 23:00  |  Nigel 29/03/08
      70.   Jane (who MY GOD has worked with Palestinians) 23:06  |  Nigel 29/03/08
      71.   Lucky them 01:15  |  Mia 30/03/08
      72.   POP aka Khalid or whatever 01:20  |  Doris 30/03/08