OneVoice Palestine has launched ‘The Land Is Ours’ campaign, aiming to promote the role of young Palestinians in popular non-violent resistance.The activities promoted include those which support the political and diplomatic efforts of the Palestinian leadership at all levels — especially in the United Nations — to end the occupation, to implement a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
According to the Palestinian News Network (PNN), the reality imposed by the Israeli occupation requires sincere efforts in motivating young Palestinians to take the initiative and implement activities against settlement expansion in the West Bank and, additionally, build encouraging positive Palestinian facts on the ground to counter what is currently being built by Israeli authorities and settlers.
The campaign reportedly continues the work of OneVoice Palestine’s previous campaign ‘The Land Is Ours, Leave Us Be’, which was launched back in 2012 and whereby hundreds of young Palestinian addressed illegal Israeli settlement expansion and further Palestinian land confiscation by planting hundreds of trees in a number of areas threatened by confiscation.
The youth had hoped to counter Israeli arguments used to confiscate these lands.
OneVoice volunteers will also encourage the Palestinian public to actively participate in popular resistance as one of the most important ways to achieve independence, in addition to a number of other activities, seminars and political events.
Samer Makhlouf, Executive Director for OneVoice Palestine, explained the importance of reviving the campaign:
‘The aftermath of the events that accompanied the Israeli attack on Gaza confirmed the importance of strengthening public participation. It is very urgent to start dealing with the aftermath of the war on Gaza, as there have been some serious consequences on the Palestinian road map and national agenda adopted by the Palestine Liberation Organization…
‘The political effort of the Palestinian leadership must be matched by massive activities on the ground to protect Palestinians’ national rights and unite all Palestinian behind one political agenda carried out by Palestine Liberation Organization,’ Mr. Makhlouf added.
‘There must be an agreement on a Palestinian strategy, based on popular resistance in all forms, to achieve independence and reach a just and comprehensive peace agreement that preserve our Palestinian rights.’
