March 30: Land Day in Beit Hanoun
Setting off the Beit Hanoun Land Day march
Today was Land Day, celebrated every year in Palestine, commemorating the Palestinian love of the land and also those people who have died for it. Our friend S from the Beit Hanoun Local Initiative invited us to join people in the Beit Hanoun area who were going to take direct action by walking into some farmland in their local stretch of border area – about 800 metres away from the Erez border crossing – and celebrate the day with dancing, bread-baking, and tending of a handful of young orange trees there (Israel has destroyed most of Gaza’s orchards.) Thankfully, nothing disturbed the festivities, except the sad sight of the destroyed houses there. Hope you enjoy the photos…
All dressed up ready to go
Beit Hanoun Local Initiative - the ones in the caps
Our friend S is the one with the hoe
Poem: I am a farmer, and this is my land...
Tending orange tree - Israeli checkpoint Erez in background
Dubke dance: S and K show them how it's done!
The audience
Singing traditional songs
Baking bread
...and the grass tastes good too
Smiling despite the destruction
Tags: beit hanoun, border, ceasefire, erez, gaza, land day, middle east, palestine, peace, war
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April 3, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I wish me and my family with them that day. ViVA PALESTIN.
April 7, 2009 at 6:00 am
How lovely to see people happy together and finding good things to celebrate: this is a wonderful country!
April 7, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Beautiful photographs! Thank you