Arab Community Leaders Plan Jerusalem Uprising Anniversary Events

The Follow-up Committee's secretariat convened on Thursday evening in Arraba municipality to discuss pressing issues facing the Arab community, with a primary focus on preparations for the 26th anniversary of the Jerusalem Uprising (Heba al-Quds wa al-Aqsa). The meeting also addressed land confiscation, home demolitions, and rising crime rates.

Participants emphasized the significance of the anniversary as a national event tied to Jerusalem, its holy sites, and the Arab presence. They stressed the importance of collective action, honoring martyrs, and linking the commemoration to contemporary challenges such as land preservation, housing, and settlement expansion.

Dr. Jamal Zahalka, head of the Follow-up Committee, called for broad public participation in the upcoming march and central festival in Arraba on Saturday. He stated the march is a "tribute to the martyrs and the cause for which they were martyred," encompassing Jerusalem, al-Aqsa, and the broader Palestinian cause. Zahalka highlighted that commemorating the uprising serves to affirm the national dimension of Arab citizens' existence and political activity, countering attempts to limit their role to daily, practical matters. He linked the anniversary to ongoing struggles against settlement in the Galilee, land confiscation, home demolitions, and displacement in the Negev.

The committee also addressed specific cases, including ten homes in Tayibe and Qalansa facing demolition orders issued in 2016 and recently reissued, despite efforts to find planning solutions. Zahalka noted that the Follow-up Committee, Tayibe municipality, and lawyers are working to prevent these demolitions.

Discussions also covered land issues in Tayibe, including plans for a railway, landfill, and road construction impacting hundreds of dunams. An upcoming meeting in Tayibe will focus on land confiscation in the area, with continued popular and legal action planned. An emergency meeting in Tamra addressed hundreds of homes threatened with demolition due to land settlement issues, with a demand to reinstate a settlement track that was active until 2022.

Dr. Anwar Yassin, head of the Popular Committee in Arraba, confirmed preparations for the anniversary events, including a march and festival, and urged wide participation as an expression of Arab community unity against what he described as a government onslaught. Mansour Dahamsha, secretary of the Follow-up Committee, linked settlement and demolition issues to the Jerusalem Uprising, framing them as part of a broader effort to control land and areas inhabited by Arab citizens. He announced plans for sessions with local authorities regarding settlement outposts and a future conference to discuss settlement issues across various regions.