Wednesday, April 1, 2009

March 30: Land Day in Beit Hanoun

Posted on Tales to Tell

Setting off the Beit Hanoun Land Day march

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

All dressed up ready to go

Beit Hanoun Local Initiative - the ones in the caps

Beit Hanoun Local Initiative - the ones in the caps

Our friend S is the one with the hoe

Our friend S is the one with the hoe

Poem: "I am a farmer, and this is my land..."

Poem: I am a farmer, and this is my land...

Tending orange tree - Israeli checkpoint Erez in background

Tending orange tree - Israeli checkpoint Erez in background

Dubke dance: S and K show them how it's done!

Dubke dance: S and K show them how it's done!

The audience

The audience

Singing traditional songs

Singing traditional songs

Baking bread

Baking bread

...and the grass tastes good too

...and the grass tastes good too

Smiling despite the destruction

Smiling despite the destruction