Land Day is one of the most prominent days of the struggle of the Palestinians who were able to stay on their land in 1948; a milestone in Palestinian history since the Nakba of the same year. Despite the ethnic cleansing carried out by the Zionist terror gangs and nascent Israeli army, around 150,000 Palestinians remained on their land in what became the state of Israel. Although Israeli citizenship and identity cards were imposed on them, they were not protected from the evil of Zionism and the theft of their land, especially in the Galilee.
The Palestinians in the area realised the scale of the Judaisation process and the danger it posed (and continues to pose) to their presence on their own land and the preservation of its Palestinian-Arab identity. That is why they united in a massive popular uprising in 1976 that confronted the occupation forces amid a general strike. Six Palestinians were martyred by Israeli bullets, but the unity, sacrifices and determination of the Palestinian people succeeded in thwarting the Judaisation settlement scheme for the occupied Galilee region. In doing so, they demonstrated that preserving their land and legitimate rights while protecting the Arab identity of Palestine requires struggle and sacrifices. It was made clear that the enemy cannot be deterred or forced to retreat from its expansionist plans in the land of Palestine and beyond unless it faces unbreakable popular resistance.
