A Palestinian policeman places a national flag in front of Israeli soldiers during clashes on land confiscated by the Israeli army to open a road for Jewish settlers. AFP
A Palestinian policeman places a national flag in front of Israeli soldiers during clashes on land confiscated by the Israeli army to open a road for Jewish settlers. AFP

1976 - Origins of Land Day

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Updated 12 May 2025
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1976 - Origins of Land Day

1976 - Origins of Land Day
  • The continuing struggle by Palestinian citizens of Israel to reclaim their land

AMMAN: Land Day, observed annually on March 30, commemorates a pivotal moment in Palestinian history when, in 1976, six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli forces during protests against government expropriation of Arab-owned land in the Galilee. 

This event not only marked the first mass mobilization of Palestinians within Israel since 1948, it also underscored their enduring struggle over land rights and identity. 

The original Land Day protests on March 30, 1976, were triggered by the Israeli government’s plans to confiscate about 20,000 dunams (2,000 hectares) of land in the Galilee region of northern Israel. The land targeted for expropriation, in villages such as Sakhnin, Arraba and Deir Hanna, was owned predominantly by Palestinian citizens of Israel. 

This large-scale confiscation of land was part of a broader Israeli policy, “Judaization of the Galilee,” which aimed to increase the Jewish population in the region and reduce the proportion of Arab-owned land.

Land Day also reflected an unresolved historical injustice. During the Nakba in 1948, two predominantly Christian Palestinian villages in northern Israel, Iqrit and Biram, were forcibly depopulated. The Israeli army promised the residents, who had become Israeli citizens and have continued to live in Israel, that they would be able to return to their homes after a brief evacuation they said was necessary for security reasons. However, they were never allowed to return; instead, the villages were destroyed and lands expropriated by the Israeli state. 

The villagers of Iqrit and Biram, and their descendants, continue to campaign for their right to return, and the two lost villages remain enduring symbols of the broader Palestinian fight for land rights.

How we wrote it




Arab News commemorated the 75th Nakba anniversary with a front-page headline “Struggle continues.” 

The significance of Land Day extends beyond the events of 1976. The annual commemoration serves as a reminder of the deep-rooted connection between the Palestinian people and their ancestral lands, a bond that has been continually threatened by Israeli policies designed to alter the historical demographic and geographic landscapes of Palestine. 

In the years since that first Land Day, the Israeli government has continued to implement policies that result in the appropriation of Palestinian land. These actions include the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the construction of the separation barrier, and the designation of state land in areas traditionally used by Palestinian communities.  

The response to these policies has been multifaceted, encompassing legal challenges, grassroots activism and international advocacy. 

Palestinian citizens of Israel, alongside those in the occupied territories and the diaspora, have utilized Land Day as a platform through which to highlight issues of land dispossession and call for justice and equality. The day has become a unifying event, fostering solidarity among Palestinians across geographic and political divides. 

However, the challenges remain formidable. The Israeli legal and political system often favors the interests of the state and settlers, making it difficult for Palestinians to reclaim confiscated land or to prevent further expropriations.

Key Dates

  • 1

    Israeli parliament amends Law on Property Tax, making owners of land liable for an annual tax equal to 2.5 percent of the value of the land. The intention is to impel Arab property owners to sell their land.

    Timeline Image July 1972

  • 2

    Israeli government officially announces the “Judaization of the Galilee” project to increase the Jewish population and communities in the Galilee, a region inside Israel with an Arab majority.

  • 3

    Israel orders the confiscation of 2,000 hectares of land belonging to Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Galilee.

    Timeline Image March 11, 1976

  • 4

    6 unarmed Palestinians killed and more than 100 injured by Israeli forces during protests against confiscation of Palestinian land.

    Timeline Image March 30, 1976

  • 5

    Likud government comes to power; establishment of settlements throughout the West Bank begins.

    Timeline Image May 17, 1977

  • 6

    Israel’s parliament approves controversial law to retroactively “legalize” illegal Jewish outposts built on privately owned Palestinian land.

Israeli laws have facilitated settlement expansions, provided legal protections to settlers, and enabled land appropriation, often at the expense of Palestinian rights. The Legal and Administrative Matters Law of 1970, for example, enacted after the annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967, permits Jewish individuals to reclaim properties that were owned by Jews in that area before 1948, even if Palestinians have lived there for decades since then. However, Palestinians are not granted the same right to reclaim properties they owned in West Jerusalem, or elsewhere in Israel, before the 1948 war. 

The Sheikh Jarrah evictions of 2021, a catalyst for the 11-day war between Palestinians and Israelis that year, showed how Palestinian communities remain under threat of eviction in East Jerusalem under Israeli laws. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in favor of settlers when it decided that Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah could remain there only if they paid rent to settlers, effectively recognizing the settlers’ claims of ownership of properties before 1948. 

Moreover, international responses to such developments often have been limited to statements of concern, with little in the way of tangible action in an attempt to hold Israeli authorities accountable for their policies, including those related to the issues of land expropriation, illegal settlements and displacement. 

In recent years, Land Day has taken on additional layers of meaning, particularly in the context of the Great March of Return protests that began in 2018 in the Gaza Strip. These demonstrations, which called for the right of return for Palestinian refugees and an end to the blockade of Gaza, met with significant violence from Israeli forces, resulting in numerous casualties.




Palestinians march in protest against seizure of Palestinian land by Jewish settlers outside West Bank village of Asira al-Qibiliya. AFP

Furthermore, the actions of Palestinian citizens of Israel in Galilee have failed to produce a genuine reckoning within Israeli society of the historical and ongoing injustices perpetrated against those Palestinians. This includes a failure to acknowledge the systemic discrimination and dispossession that have characterized state policies, or to work toward achieving genuine equality and reconciliation. 

The events of 1976, which marked the first mass Palestinian mobilization since 1948, underscored the power of solidarity across political, religious and ideological divides. This unity has remained a cornerstone of the struggle, reinforcing the idea that only through collective efforts can discriminatory policies be effectively challenged and rights asserted. 

The lessons of Land Day also emphasize the importance of strategic and persistent resistance, locally and internationally. The global attention garnered by the protests in 1976 showcased the significance of peaceful, organized activism in amplifying the Palestinian cause. It also underscored the necessity of political mobilization to address systemic discrimination and secure equal rights. 

For Palestinians in Israel and beyond, Land Day is an occasion that encapsulates both the pain of loss and the hope for a future in which peace and justice prevails. 

  • Daoud Kuttab is a columnist for Arab News, specializing in Middle Eastern, and more specifically, Palestinian affairs. He is the author of the book “State of Palestine NOW: Practical and logical arguments for the best way to bring peace to the Middle East.” 


Russia has handed Ukraine another 1,200 bodies of war dead, Russian news agencies report

Russia has handed Ukraine another 1,200 bodies of war dead, Russian news agencies report
Updated 54 sec ago
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Russia has handed Ukraine another 1,200 bodies of war dead, Russian news agencies report

Russia has handed Ukraine another 1,200 bodies of war dead, Russian news agencies report
  • Russia says it has so far handed Ukraine the bodies of nearly 5,000 Ukrainian service personnel
  • Ukraine and Russia have conducted three exchanges of POWs so far, but have not disclosed exact numbers
MOSCOW: Russia on Sunday handed Ukraine another 1,200 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war, Russian state news agencies reported on Sunday, saying Moscow had not received a single Russian corpse in return.
Russian state news agencies TASS and RIA both reported the handover, citing an unnamed source.
It is the fourth in a series of handovers of soldiers’ remains to take place in the past week, in accordance with an agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine at talks in Istanbul earlier this month.
Kyiv and Moscow agreed to each hand over as many as 6,000 bodies and to exchange sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war and those aged under 25.
Russia says it has so far handed Ukraine the bodies of nearly 5,000 Ukrainian service personnel, but has only reported receiving a total of 27 Russian servicemen in return.
Ukraine and Russia have conducted three exchanges of POWs so far, but have not disclosed exact numbers.

Saudi Arabia’s Almarai to acquire Pure Beverages Industry Co. in $277m deal 

Saudi Arabia’s Almarai to acquire Pure Beverages Industry Co. in $277m deal 
Updated 5 min 19 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia’s Almarai to acquire Pure Beverages Industry Co. in $277m deal 

Saudi Arabia’s Almarai to acquire Pure Beverages Industry Co. in $277m deal 
  • Transaction will be funded through Almarai’s internal cash flows
  • Pure Beverages Industry Co. is a bottled drinking water producer in the Kingdom

RIYADH: Saudi dairy giant Almarai has signed an agreement to fully acquire Pure Beverages Industry Co. for SR1.04 billion ($277 million), aiming to diversify its offerings and enhance its market position. 

Pure Beverages Industry Co. is a bottled drinking water producer in the Kingdom, known for its “Ival” and “Oska” brands. The company operates modern facilities and follows established production standards with a focus on quality and sustainability.  

Mergers and acquisitions are on the rise in Saudi Arabia as the nation pursues economic diversification and privatization efforts under Vision 2030, a strategy that promotes foreign investment and supports local entrepreneurship. 

In a statement, Almarai stated: “This strategic acquisition is in line with Almarai’s plan to diversify its beverage offerings and enhance its market position. We believe this deal will create added value for our shareholders.” 

The transaction will be funded through Almarai’s internal cash flows and is subject to fulfilling all contractual conditions and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals in the Kingdom.  

Almarai also confirmed that there are no related parties involved in the transaction and pledged to disclose any material updates regarding the deal in the future. 

Founded in 1977, Almarai is one of the largest food production and distribution companies in the Middle East, offering fresh dairy, yogurt and cheese, as well as juices, baked goods, poultry, and infant nutrition products. Listed on Tadawul since 2005, it remains one of the market’s highest-valued companies. 

According to the General Authority for Statistics, bottled water was the primary source of drinking water used by households in Saudi Arabia in 2023, with a reliance rate of 57.24 percent. This was followed by public network water at 23.56 percent and tanker water at 18.60 percent. 

Given the heavy reliance on bottled water, the Saudi Water Authority plays a pivotal role in regulating and improving water sources — ensuring sustainability, safety, and accessibility across all supply methods. 

The authority is the competent body in the Kingdom for all water system affairs at the supervisory and regulatory levels, providing strategic support to the sector through regulatory control and supervision. 


1 killed and 19 injured as a hot air balloon crashes in central Turkiye

1 killed and 19 injured as a hot air balloon crashes in central Turkiye
Updated 15 June 2025
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1 killed and 19 injured as a hot air balloon crashes in central Turkiye

1 killed and 19 injured as a hot air balloon crashes in central Turkiye

ISTANBUL: A hot air balloon crashed in central Turkiye on Sunday, leaving its pilot dead and 19 Indonesian tourists injured, a local official said.
In a statement, the governor’s office said the balloon was affected by a sudden change of wind.
It was trying to make a hard landing near the village of Gozlukuyu in Aksaray province, when the pilot fell out of the balloon’s basket and his feet got tangled in a rope, Aksaray Governor Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoglu said.
“Unfortunately, our pilot got stuck under the basket and died,” he said, adding that the injured tourists were taken to a hospital.
Hot air ballooning is a popular tourist activity over the rugged landscape of central Turkiye, which is dotted with ancient churches hewn into cliff faces. The attractions include the “fairy chimneys” of Cappadocia — the tall, cone-shaped rock formations created by natural erosion over thousands of years that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Video from Ilhas News Agency showed one deflated balloon, its passenger basket lying on its side, as emergency services tended to injured people. An investigation is underway.
State-run Anadolu Agency said another hot air balloon taking off from the same location of Ilhara Valley also made a hard landing early Sunday morning, and that 12 Indian tourists were slightly injured and taken to hospital.
Two Spanish tourists were killed in 2022 when a hot air balloon made a hard landing following a sightseeing tour of Cappadocia.


A Congolese customs worker who resisted corruption is the Catholic Church’s newest model of holiness

A Congolese customs worker who resisted corruption is the Catholic Church’s newest model of holiness
Updated 15 June 2025
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A Congolese customs worker who resisted corruption is the Catholic Church’s newest model of holiness

A Congolese customs worker who resisted corruption is the Catholic Church’s newest model of holiness
  • Floribèrt Bwana Chui Bin Kositi was kidnapped and killed in 2007 after he refused to allow rancid rice from Rwanda to be transported across the border to the eastern Congo city of Goma
  • The head of the Vatican’s saint-making office, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, is presiding over the beatification ceremony Sunday

ROME: The Vatican on Sunday is beatifying a Congolese customs worker who was killed for resisting a bribe, giving young people in a place with endemic corruption a new model of holiness: Someone who refused to allow spoiled rice to be distributed to poor people.
The head of the Vatican’s saint-making office, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, is presiding over the beatification ceremony Sunday at one of the pontifical basilicas in Rome, St. Paul Outside the Walls.
The event is drawing Congolese pilgrims and much of Rome’s Congolese Catholic community, who will be treated to a special audience Monday with Pope Leo XIV.
Floribèrt Bwana Chui Bin Kositi was kidnapped and killed in 2007 after he refused to allow rancid rice from Rwanda to be transported across the border to the eastern Congo city of Goma.
As an official with the Congolese government’s custom’s quality control office, the 26-year-old knew the risks of resisting bribes offered to public officials. But he also knew the risks of allowing spoiled food to be distributed to the most desperate.
“On that day, those mafiosi found themselves in front of a young man who, in the name of the Gospel, said ‘No.’ He opposed,” his friend Aline Manani said. “And Floribèrt, I think that for me personally, I would say for all young people, is a role model.”
Pope Francis recognized Kositi as a martyr of the faith late last year, setting him on the path to beatification and to possibly become Congo’s first saint. The move fit into the pope’s broader understanding of martyr as a social justice concept, allowing those deemed to have been killed for doing God’s work and following the Gospel to be considered for sainthood.
“Our country almost holds the gold medal for corruption among the countries of the world,” Goma Bishop Willy Ngumbi told reporters last week. “Here, corruption is truly endemic. So, if we could at least learn from this boy’s life that we must all fight corruption … I think that would be very important.”
Transparency International last year gave Congo one of the poorest marks on its corruption perception index, ranking it 163 out of 180 countries surveyed and 20 on the organization’s 0-100 scale, with 0 highly corrupt and 100 very clean.
The beatification has brought joy to Goma at a time of anguish. Violent fighting between government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels has led to the death of thousands of people and the rebels’ capture of the city has exacerbated what already was one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises.
It has renewed the hopes of many in the country of more than 100 million people whose development has been stifled by chronic corruption, which Francis railed about during his 2023 visit to the country.
Speaking at the Kinshasa stadium then, Francis said Kositi “could easily have turned a blind eye; nobody would have found out, and he might even have gotten ahead as a result. But since he was a Christian, he prayed. He thought of others and he chose to be honest, saying no to the filth of corruption.”
The Italian priest who spearheaded Kositi’s sainthood case, the Rev. Francesco Tedeschi, knew him through their work with the Saint’Egidio Community. He broke down Saturday as he recounted Kositi’s example and Francis’ call for the church to recognize the ordinary holiness in the “saints next door.”
“In the end, this was what Floribert was, because he was just a boy,” Tedeschi said as he began weeping.
At Goma’s Floribert Bwana Chui School of Peace, which is named in honor of Kositi and advocates for social justice, his beatification is encouraging everyone who sees him as a role model, school director Charles Kalimba told The Associated Press.
“It’s a lesson for every generation, for the next generation, for the present generation and for all people. Floribert’s life is a positive point that must be presented to the Congolese nation. We are in a country where corruption is almost allowed, and this is a challenge that must be taken up,” Kalimba said.
Rev. Tedeschi said the martyr designation recognized Kositi died out of hatred for the faith, because his decision to not accept the spoiled food was inspired by the Christian idea of the dignity of everyone, especially the poor.
Being declared a martyr exempts Kositi from the requirement that a miracle must be attributed to his intercession before he is beatified, thereby fast-tracking the process to get to the first step of sainthood. The Vatican must, however, confirm a miracle attributed to his intercession for him to be canonized, a process that can take years or more.


Hospitality Awards 2025 celebrate visionaries shaping future of Saudi hospitality

Hospitality Awards 2025 celebrate visionaries shaping future of Saudi hospitality
Updated 15 June 2025
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Hospitality Awards 2025 celebrate visionaries shaping future of Saudi hospitality

Hospitality Awards 2025 celebrate visionaries shaping future of Saudi hospitality

The Hospitality Network has unveiled the winners of The Hospitality Awards 2025, honoring excellence across 11 categories that spotlight innovation, leadership, and alignment with Saudi Vision 2030. The awards ceremony, held as part of The 2025 KSA Stakeholder Gathering, brought together senior decision-makers from the hotel and real estate industries at this influential conference.

Winners of the 2025 Hospitality Awards are:

  1. City of Tomorrow: Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City 
  2. Cultural and Architectural Preservation: AlUla Development Company 
  3. Development Leader: Imran Changezi, Diriyah Company 
  4. Groundbreaking Project: Desert Rock Resort 
  5. Heritage Conservation Project: Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Diriyah
  6. Iconic Project: Shebara Resort 
  7. Innovator of the Year: King Abdullah Financial District 
  8. Luxury Hospitality Pioneer: Desert Rock Resort 
  9. National Hospitality Champion: Fabien Toscano, AlUla Development Company
  10. Sustainability Champion: King Abdullah Financial District 
  11. Urban Living Excellence: Rua Al-Madinah Holding 

A celebration of vision and progress

“These awards are milestones on a much larger journey, powered by purpose, passion, and vision,” said Martina Bjorkenor, managing director, The Hospitality Network. The evening celebrated the drive of Saudi Arabia’s hospitality and real estate leaders to innovate while preserving heritage and advancing sustainability.

Beyond awards, creating opportunity through connection

Held as part of the 2025 KSA Stakeholder Gathering, The Hospitality Awards took place during a high-impact event that brought together over 500 senior leaders from Saudi Arabia’s hospitality and real estate sectors. 

The program featured keynote speeches from Joseph Bradley of TONOMUS, who explored the future of AI in hospitality, and Philip Wooller of STR, a CoStar Group Company, who shared key insights on regional hotel performance. 

Attendees participated in expert-led panel discussions covering technology, sustainability, development as well as design and architecture. Together, these elements created a strategic platform to accelerate partnerships, create new opportunities, and drive forward Vision 2030’s ambitious hospitality goals.

What’s next?

The momentum continues at The 2025 EMEA Stakeholder Conference in Dubai this November, where The Hospitality Network will unite the industry’s most influential leaders shaping the future of hospitality and real estate across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

This exclusive gathering brings together owners, operators, giga-developers, consultants, and leading suppliers who are key decision-makers driving hundreds of hotel and real estate projects in the region.