Lent 4, Ephesians - In Darkness

Ephesians 5.8-14

For once you were in darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. (Eph 5.8)

So much of what has happened in Israel/Palestine over the course of the twentieth century has been hidden in darkness. Instead of living by what can be seen in the light, I have discovered that I have lived by myths that flourished in the darkness. One myth I believed was that Palestine was an empty land, waiting for industrious Jewish farmers to “make the desert bloom.” And that Palestinians rock-throwing started the violence. History teaches otherwise.

Today, March 30, is Palestinian Land Day, "Yom al-Ard," —a day commemorating the Israeli military's 1976 killing of six young Palestinians as they protested the Israeli government's seizure of Palestinian land. The day has since become a symbol of Palestinian resistance to land theft, colonization, occupation and apartheid.

The stories of Palestinian non-violent protest are hidden to most Americans. Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh’s new book, Popular Resistance in Palestine, is one of many recent books bringing this hidden history to light. He writes about the careful organizing that led up to the events of Land Day (pp 112-113), and shared them on his blog yesterday:

“Away from politics, grassroots efforts were functioning. The increased mobilization among Palestinians inside the Green Line took a dramatic and bold step forward with a large meeting in August 1975 in Nazareth attended by 110 individuals to defend the land. At this meeting, a committee was selected, headed by Anees Kardoush, to prepare for an even larger meeting. This meeting, held in October 1975, included about 5,000 activists from many factions and created the Committee for Defense of the Land (Lajnat Al-Difa’ An Al-Aradi) with 100 members and an eleven-member secretariat.

It began by protesting against the confiscation of 22,000 dunums in the Galilee and the declaration of an even larger parcel of land belonging to three villages (in the Al-Mil area) as closed military zones, with the intention of building nine Jewish settlements in this closed zone. A meeting was held in Nazareth on March 6, 1976. This included 48 heads of municipalities and local village councils and called for a day of protests and strikes on March 30, 1976 should Israel go ahead with its land confiscation policies. When it appeared the strike would take place, many areas outside of the Galilee joined it, including in the West Bank. Photo: Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh being arrested, Al Walaja, 2010

This became known as ‘Land Day’ throughout Palestine. The events actually started on March 29, when a demonstration against the Israeli army’s provocative mobilizations in the village of Deir Hanna. Later that evening, the village of Araba Al-Batoof demonstrated in solidarity and a young man, Khair Muhammad Yassin, was killed by Israeli soldiers. He was the first martyr of the 1976 Land Day. More martyrs fell over the next 24 hours.

The events were well organized and participation was high. The Israeli authorities reacted violently. Many were injured, six nonviolent protesters killed and hundreds arrested. The events coincided with the secret Koening Memorandum which laid out plans for further discrimination and ethnic cleansing to ‘make the Galilee more Jewish’. The Israeli government condemned the leaking of the memorandum, but no government official repudiated its racist content.12 After this successful popular event, differences arose that weakened the organizing committee and yet, the movement continues strongly to this day.”

As you can see, non-violent protest is an inaccurate description. Non-violence is often met with violence. Tomorrow in Palestine, Israeli soldiers protect the bulldozers clearing Palestinian land for the building of the wall; people protest; and some may be killed.

God of light, open our hearts to the light. Then give us courage to be your partners in this illuminating work; help us be your merciful light, shining on the dark places of your world. Amen.