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| By Ellis Shuman April 1, 2001 |
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Thousands of Israeli Arabs held largely peaceful protests on Friday to mark Land Day, which commemorates the killing of six Israeli Arabs by the police during demonstrations in 1976 against government land expropriations.
The demonstrations, which were joined for the first time by Israeli peace activists, came in stark contrast to the weekend's violent activities in the territories, when six Palestinians were killed and over 100 wounded.
Mohammed Zeidan, chairman of the monitoring committee of
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"We put a great deal of effort into trying to calm the atmosphere."
- Mohammed Zeidan
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the Israeli-Arab leadership, said the day's events were peaceful because Israeli police kept their promise to stay out of the Arab cities and villages.
"We put a great deal of effort into trying to calm the atmosphere beforehand and by repeated calls to the public in the media and through leaflets to act with restraint and ensure there would not be any disturbances," Zeidan said.
The main Land Day event took place in Sakhnin, where two separate marches met at the Sakhnin-Araba high school for the central Land Day ceremony. Marchers carried black flags of mourning in memory of those who died in the riots in 1976 and also the 13 Israeli Arabs killed last October's riots.
Israeli press sources estimated that at least 10,000 people participated in the marches. A few attempts made to burn Israeli flags and chant anti-Israeli slogans were suppressed by local organizers.
A similar parade took place in Kfar Kana. Hundreds of olive tree saplings were planted near Umm el-Fahm and in Bedouin communities in the Negev.
Police Commander Shlomo Aharonishky told reporters that order was maintained because the police and leaders of the Arab community had engaged in an intensive dialogue prior to Land Day and police had learned lessons from the October disturbances.
"We turned a new leaf," Aharonishky said. "Not just us, but the Arab sector and its leaders."
The Jerusalem Post credited Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau for ensuring that the Land Day events would be peaceful. Landau "devoted a great deal of time in recent weeks to opening channels of dialogue and communication with the leadership of the Israeli Arab community," according to the Post's lead editorial today.
Minister without Portfolio Salah Tarif echoed the possibility of a new relationship between Israel and its Arab citizens. "The Arab public and its leaders in Israel have proven that despite the difficulties and years of neglect from the government, they do not wish to harm the rule of law and order in the state that, after all, is their state," Tarif said.
In analysis published today in Ha'aretz, Ora Nir suggested that "much of the success of Land Day is due to the growing realization among Israeli Arabs of a common agenda that crosses party lines and is the foundation for the developing awareness of themselves as a national minority within the state of Israel."
This common agenda, marked collectively and peacefully by Israeli Arabs on Land Day this year, is much more than a protest solely against land expropriations.
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