Sara Ibrahim

On 30 March 1976, the "Israeli" army killed 6 unarmed Palestinian citizens in Al Nasira (Nazareth), leaving hundreds wounded and hundreds jailed. They were attacked by the "Israelis" when they were demonstrating against the expropriation of 60,000 acres of Arab-owned land in Al Jaleel (the Galilee).
This day ever since has been known as Palestinian "Land Day" of where thousands of people in and out of Palestine, commemorate the death of the Palestinians that day. Land Day is present to remind the world of the ongoing tyranny and injustice of the "Israelis". It symbolizes the outrageous Palestinian resistance against the "Israelis" apartheid, colonization and occupation.
"Israel" began the transfer of the "Israeli" settlers into the Daffeh (West bank), East Al Quds (Jerusalem) and Ghazza (the Gaza strip) ever since its illegal occupation of these areas in the year 1967.
Today, more than 400,000 "Israeli" settlers live in the Occupied Palestinian Territories which is an obvious violation of all international laws.
With the full political and financial support of its Allies, the "Israeli" settlements continue to expand despite repeated condemnation from the International community.

Moqawama.org had the opportunity to share the commemoration of this day with a 90 year old Palestinian who was expelled out of his land in 1948.

Abu Ahmad Al Salhani took us 63 years back to when he was a free farmer sowing seeds of joy and reaping a beautiful life in his village Al Bassa. Abu Ahmad told us his story before even speaking, for every wrinkle on his face was marked with a memory, a memory that was easy to read. Despite the painful colors of life, he was still pure enough to be transparent.
"I always ask every this question to every person I see, "Who is more precious the Land or the Son?" they answer "the son", but for me the land is more precious. I have 12 children and despite the strong love for them, they couldn't make me forget my land, not for a moment", he said.

Abu Ahmad insisted that losing a son is much easier than losing a land. He explained that the moment he stepped out of his land, he felt his heart being torn into pieces. He added that only the farmer can know the importance of the land.
"I remember I got engaged 1 week before we were forced to leave Palestine. I was so excited about raising a family and feeding them from my own land. I was a farmer; I grew all kinds of fruits and vegetables. I spent time in my piece of land on daily basis. Its smell took my breath away. Then my dreams were broken. I took my fiancée and my 180 goats with me to Lebanon. I sold my goats on the way in a village called Aytaroun", he said.
He went on stressing that he left the land and he knew he wasn't coming back anytime soon. He knew that the world held so many ruthless who chose money and power of dignity and humanity.
"As a farmer, I always tried keeping myself away from the cruelty of the world; I tried to live a simple life away from all the complications and miseries caused by mankind. Yet there came a time when danger was always approaching Palestine and we had to stand up for it, but one hand can't clap alone. We were betrayed by many leaders in the Arab world, and we were envied by many leaders in the West. We ended up being a tool in the hands of all these filthy leaders."
Abu Ahmad reached Lebanon on the 14th of May 1948 and was handed a place in Sabra Chatilla camp. He got married to his fiancée; they gave birth to 12 children. He now has 49 grandchildren.
He passed through many difficult and crucial moments in his life, the first was when his son Mohammad was martyred year 1985 during clashes in the camp. The second painful memory was when his wife passed away year 2001.

He looked at their pictures and burst with tears and after a moment of silence he said, " If it hadn't been for my wife, we wouldn't have been able to move on here, she always gave us the support we needed, she gave us hopes and dreams. All my children continued their education because of her support. I miss her so much; she still lives in every corner of this house. God bless her she was one of a kind."

He looked at his sons picture once again and said, "I'm honored to have a martyr and not any martyr, my son Mohammad was a decent man that dreamt of earning martyrdom... Yet he always dreamt of dying on his land."
The Mosque near Abu Ahmad's house recited the Azan, and so it was time for prayers. He excused himself and went to the Mosque to pray.
After 15 minutes he came back with a smile on his face. He said, "I prayed God to send my children back to Palestine soon, and I'm sure God won't let me down."
Abu Ahmad went into his room and got the Keys of his house back home. He held them and paused for many moments, as if those keys were a time machine that took him back to his room in Palestine.
"I kept every document and every key of every room back home. Although many of our pictures were burnt and destroyed, but God gave us a special kind of memory that could never be erased", he said.
"I lost many of my fortunes in Palestine, after we came here; some kind of rule was invented. Every man that paid the piled taxes of any house owner had the right to take the house. I heard that after I arrived here. Years later I receive papers from a man named Faraj Ibn A'am, they wrote that he owned my properties after paying my taxes. Although my taxes were small", he said with grief.
Abu Ahmad noted that he already lost his land, and so losing property on that land does not matter anymore. I know "Israel" will vanish soon and I know that all its allies will rot in the hell of this world before the eternal hell", he added with rage. Speaking of the Arab revolutions Abu Ahmad stressed that it took the Arabs many years to wake up, but it's never too late. He added that the revolutions will take time to reach their goals due to many interventions that have always played part in ruining our area.

He ended by saying, "We had many great leaders that lead many great revolutions and they succeeded in making a difference. I'm sure that these revolutions are lead by the spirits of all the Martyrs that poured their blood on their lands for change. May the Land of Palestine be freed very soon." 

Abu Ahmad holds one story of a one Palestinian man who suffered "Israeli" tyranny, as each and every Palestinian out there has another version that tells the same story.