As we mark the 49th anniversary of Land Day, we commemorate all of the Palestinians murdered in Israel’s genocide against 2.3 million of our people in occupied Gaza. The Indigenous people of Palestine will continue our struggle for liberation and for the return of our refugees to their ancestral land despite the genocide.
Escalating BDS campaigning to end state, corporate and institutional complicity in Israel’s genocide and underlying regime of settler-colonialism, military occupation and apartheid is the most effective and meaningful form of solidarity with our liberation struggle.
On this day in 1976, Israel’s apartheid forces murdered six Palestinians (all “citizens”) as they took part in nonviolent protests against the relentless settler-colonial theft of their land. Every March 30th, Palestinians everywhere commemorate Land Day, affirming our steadfastness and unwavering commitment to our land, and to our right to return and receive reparations.
This year’s Land Day takes place during Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) and amid Israel’s intensified genocide in Gaza, which has escalated once again with renewed bombing, mass starvation, and forced displacement of Palestinians. Israel, fully supported and armed by the US and other western powers, has massacred hundreds of Palestinians since the early hours of Tuesday, 18 March, many while sleeping. Over 60 thousand have already been killed since October 7 2023. Meanwhile, Israel continues its brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, where it has further annexed large parts of land.
Today, the Palestinian struggle for justice is at the heart of the battle against a world order of “might makes right” that is being imposed by the U.S-Israel genocidal axis and enabled by European colonial powers. Palestine remains a litmus test for human rights and the rule of law, and it is intrinsically linked to the growing global struggle against authoritarianism, racism, fascism and climate destruction that are epitomized by the Trump administration.
Let us commemorate Palestinian Land Day this year with a clear and loud message that we will not let their oppression or their unprecedented brutality and repression colonize our minds with complacency, cowardice or despair. We shall work with all those seeking justice and defending human rights to establish the broadest possible coalitions to resist their injustices and crimes.
In the words of the Secretariat of Student Frameworks in Gaza who launched IAW with a powerful call to action:
“This must not be a moment of resignation - it must be one of escalation!”.
This Land Day, let’s escalate all peaceful efforts to end international complicity that has given rise to Israel’s total impunity. Without this, Gaza will go down in history not just as the world’s first livestreamed genocide but also as the cemetery of international law and human rights. Today’s struggle in Palestine, and in solidarity spaces all around the world, is a struggle for humanity and a global order based on values of justice, freedom, and equality for all.
We call for joining BDS groups and solidarity partners of the BDS movement in your countries to:
- Shut It Down – Disrupt the institutions complicit in Israel’s genocide. Organize strikes (when feasible), walkouts, and sit-ins. No business as usual under genocide.
- Expand Apartheid-Free Zones – Demand your university, workplace, union, or city cut ties with apartheid Israel and respect the BDS guidelines.
- Pressure Governments for Lawful Sanctions – Governments must impose targeted sanctions on Israel, including a comprehensive military embargo. This isn’t a choice but a legal duty. Ending direct and indirect complicity with Israel is a legal obligation for all states, following the ICJ decisions in 2024.
- Mass Mobilizations – Protest in your city, organize strategic direct actions.
- Build Broad-tent Coalitions - Intersectional anti-racist coalitions for justice are needed now more than ever.
- Demand Israel’s immediate suspension from the UN, FIFA, the Olympics, and all international institutions.
- Amplify Palestinian Voices – Showcase Palestinian culture, resistance, and visions of liberation through film screenings, art exhibitions, teach-ins, and public discussions.
Channel your rage, frustration, and grief into effective, strategic BDS action and pressure to stop the genocide and dismantle Israel’s regime of settler-colonial apartheid, the root cause of this oppression and unspeakable violence.