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Demonstrators in 1948 occupied territories demand end to war on Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
2 Mar 2024 18:40

The demonstration's organizing group demands an end to the "Israeli massacres committed daily in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank."

An aerial view on December 26, 2023, shows destroyed residential buildings in Beit Lahia following Israeli mass bombardments in the northern Gaza Strip (AFP)

Hundreds of Palestinians have taken to the streets since the early hours of Saturday morning in the town of Kafr Kanna - an Arab village located in the Lower al-Jalil region in northern occupied Palestine - in a demonstration demanding an end to the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

This demonstration in Kafr Kanna is considered the first since the start of the war on the Strip last October and was called for and organized by the Higher Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens Affairs in al-Nasirah.

It included participation from all segments of the Palestinian Arab community, including Muslim, Christian, and Druze religious figures, as well as politicians, intellectuals, and Palestinian activists, chanting slogans such as: "With our souls, with our blood, we sacrifice for you, Gaza."

#بالفيديو | تظاهرة حاشدة في كفركنا في الأراضي المحتلة عام 1948 لإيقاف الحرب على #غزة للمرة الاولى منذ بدء العداون.#طوفان_الأقصى #الميادين pic.twitter.com/WekH2ltahH
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) March 2, 2024

In a statement, the Committee warned of the danger of the Israeli occupation's invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza and declared its absolute position of opposing all forms of starvation, killing, destruction, and displacement.

The statement called for "an end to the Israeli massacres committed daily in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank" and for "the protection of al-Quds, al-Aqsa mosque, and all sanctities."

Mohammed Baraka, the head of the Committee, said, "We are engaged in a multifaceted battle against the [Israeli] police repression apparatus, which operates under orders from its fascist minister, [Police Minister] Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose approach and policies reflect the stance of his entire current government with all its components."

Baraka pointed out that the Israeli occupation has been seeking since the beginning of its war on the Gaza Strip to "suppress our clear voice rejecting the aggression and the genocide carried out by Israel against our Palestinian people."

"There is no force that can separate us from our identity and our belonging to Arab Palestinians, as we are an integral part of our people, and we have faced policies of oppression, repression, and racial discrimination for 76 years, and we struggle against these policies, seeking to live with dignity in our homeland, which is our only homeland."

The Israeli police initially refused to grant a permit for a demonstration. Subsequently, the organization, represented by its president Mohammed Baraka, appealed to the Supreme Court against the police's decision.

Afterward, the police imposed conditions on the location, time, and number of participants, which undermined the significance and appeal of the demonstration, reflecting a policy aimed at curtailing freedoms.

In response to the permit denial, the police issued a set of demands.

They rejected a march-style demonstration and instead requested that it be held in a square near the municipal stadium in an industrial area with limited movement. The police also imposed a limit on the number of participants and prohibited slogans considered "provocative" to the government at war. Additionally, they explicitly banned the display of the Palestinian flag, along with other conditions and restrictions.