Palestinian March of Return cancelled for first time in decades due to Israeli threats
The Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (Adrid) has called off an annual march symbolising Palestinians‘ right of return for the first time in nearly three decades due to restrictions and threats from Israeli authorities.
The March of Return is an event held every year in Israel and elsewhere to commemorate the displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians since 1948.
The organisers said in a statement they decided to cancel the march this year “due to pressure from the Israeli police and the imposition of unreasonable demands”.
Citing “systematic obstacles and unprecedented, prohibitive conditions” as well as “a racist incitement campaign” from government ministers and the “brutal aggression against our people in Gaza”, Adrid deemed it safer to cancel the event.
“All of this reinforced our suspicions of a premeditated plot to harm the participants,” the NGO said, adding that it chose to preserve the “safety and security of our people”.
Adham Jabareen, a member of the association, told Arab48 that dozens of volunteers had “worked day and night” on preparations for the march that was set to be held in the village of Kafr Sabt, in the eastern Lower Galilee.
“However, efforts to obtain a permit to organise the march failed due to pressure from the police and their unreasonable demands.”
Such conditions included limiting the number of attendees to 700 people while tens of thousands usually participate in the event, and a ban on raising the Palestinian flag.
The police also threatened to infiltrate the march to enforce restrictions and to deploy a drone over participants, Jabareen said.
Increasing restrictions
Since Israel was established in 1948, the state has been working to restrict its Palestinian citizens, who account for more than 20 percent of the population, to their existing, overcrowded communities, while maximising the land available for Jews.
One of the key ways this is done is through establishing a system of permits, including for travel, work and residence.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza started on 7 October 2023, Palestinians in the occupied territories and those living in Israel proper have faced increasing constraints.
In light of this pressure from Israeli authorities, Adrid has assured participants of maintaining other events, such as the Nakba anniversary and national march, alongside alternative activities which will be held by local communities.
Every year on 15 May, Palestinians mark the Nakba or “catastrophe”, when around 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of Israel.
It is an event that has shaped politics in Israel and Palestine ever since, and one that Palestinians say continues today in different forms of war, occupation, siege, home demolitions, land confiscations and more.
Like many Palestinian organisations, Adrid has fought for the rights of Palestinians both inside and outside historic Palestine.
“We invite you all to attend the upcoming marches and actively participate in ensuring the success of these national activities. There is no turning back on the right of return,” Adrid said.
