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On Friday the 3rd of April, Israeli soldiers attempted on preventing Palestinian and international solidarity activists to carry non-violence activities to celebrate the 23rd land day in Artas, Bethlehem

Picture: Palestine Monitor

On Friday, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative participated in a solidarity event in Artas town near Bethlehem, consisting in planting olive tree seeds and demonstrating again the Apartheid Wall, to challenge the ongoing attacks and confiscation carried by the Israeli army.

The solidarity event organised by the Palestinian National Initiative aimed to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Land Day in Artas, a village that is currently threatened with the confiscation of over 1,700 dunums of land, leading to strangulation of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour areas.

Various civil society members, led by Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi attended the planting of olive tree seeds on the threatened land, while the Israeli army attempted to prevent the participants to cultivate the olive seedlings.

“Justice for our people will come when governments around the world will take serious steps to impose sanctions on Israel, forcing the State to stop definitely any further settlement activities and its apartheid regime towards the Palestinians. In the West Bank, and elsewhere”, said Mustafa Barghouthi.

The Deputy hailed the steadfastness of the people from Artas, Almasra, Ni’lin and Bi’lin and Jayyous, where weekly non-violent demonstrations against the Apartheid Wall have been taking place for over years now. He also thanked a French delegation present, thanking them for their participation and the support to the struggle and the steadfastness of their Palestinian friends.

“The scope of the popular struggle is now widening”, noted the Deputy. “And all the measures of repression on behalf the occupation forces will not affect the will and the dedication of our people to put and end to occupation and settlements. They will never manage to sweep our will for freedom and independence.”

To the Deputy, this year 23rd anniversary of the land day should put an emphasis on the Palestinian Unity and the ongoing dedication against the public system of apartheid established by Israel in the Palestinian territories. “There is currently and sadly no partner for peace in Israel as the new government is now clearly shifting towards extremism and racism”, he said. “Israel as reached the peak of its racism and fascism policies after the last elections. We know that the government is using the negotiations to cover up the political establishment of an apartheid regime and to hide the new large waves of arrests, killing and destruction. “

The Deputy addressed the farmers before heading to the demonstration against the Apartheid Wall, stating that “to face the Israeli de facto policy and the fait accompli on the ground, it is required to stand up united and expose the Israeli racist practices to the world.”

Said Awad Abu Sway, the coordinator of the People’s Committee Against the Wall in Artas, mentioned that the ongoing expropriations in the village is an aggression towards every citizens in the governorate of Bethlehem, as Artas produces the most agricultural resources of the region. He called on the civil society organisations and the government to actively participate in a solidarity campaign with Artas to protect the land and livelihood, stressing that Artas will lose most of its resourceful soil for agriculture and cultivation, for the sake of the new settlement housing schemes scheduled by the Israeli government.

The campaign coordinator for People’s Resistance against the Wall in Bethlehem also expressed his concerns, stressing that the planting of olive tree seeds in Artas, along with the solidarity march in Almasra come in conjunction with the launch of a local and international campaign to boycott Israel, in order to pressure the government to give accountability for its crimes, notably in the Gaza Strip.

He called on all the Palestinian political forces, civil and official institutions to gather together. “The current racial and barbaric consensus that now leads Israel should be challenged by united Palestinians. National Unity is our only way to resist the danger of the apartheid policy, the confiscation of more of our land and the building of new settlements. Palestine should stand up united along with Bethlehem.”