The 50th anniversary of Land Day commemoration inside occupied Palestine, particularly in Sakhnin, appeared markedly constrained as PA municipality cited “unusual security conditions.”
Globally, the anniversary still drew visible solidarity in cities worldwide through protests and public events.
In Seoul, the group People in Solidarity with Palestinians organized a march on Sunday that brought together dozens of Koreans and members of Arab communities. The procession moved from a public park toward the Israeli and US embassies.
Protesters carried Palestinian flags and banners denouncing ongoing Israeli settlement expansion since 1976. The event also included symbolic performances depicting the suffering of Palestinian children and families.
Participants called on the South Korean government to take firm positions to halt the aggression, stressing the interconnectedness of struggles for freedom and the restoration of land. The demonstrations drew notable public engagement in the Korean capital.
In New York, a similar event was held on Sunday in Bryant Park, expressing solidarity with Palestinians and renewing calls to end Israeli occupation and the injustice faced by the Palestinian people.
At the same time, the Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Opposing Normalization called for marking the anniversary through protests and parallel activities across multiple regions, including a central rally outside parliament in Rabat on Monday.
Alongside street mobilizations, a third form of commemoration gained prominence this year: digital events. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign announced an online seminar held on Monday for the same purpose, while the World March of Women called for an international online forum on the same day, describing it as an effort that extends into a “cross-border organizational and media space.”
Inside occupied Palestine, however, commemorations appeared more subdued than in previous years. The municipality of Sakhnin approved a program for the 50th anniversary that did not include mass marches, citing “unusual security conditions” and “field restrictions” complicating large public gatherings.
Coverage from previous years shows explicit calls for the central march in Sakhnin, including in 2023, as well as a 2025 call for broad participation in a nationwide central march.
Materials published this year from within occupied Palestine do not show a comparable large central march as seen in previous years. Instead, they point to a smaller program shaped under pressure from the security situation.
Land Day commemorates protests on March 30, 1976, against Israeli land expropriation, during which six Palestinians were killed and more than 100 injured.
