St. Paul, MN — The Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Women Against Military Madness will hold a protest on March 30, 5 p.m., at the Summit and Snelling Avenues, in Saint Paul to mark Palestinian Land Day. Palestinians around the world will commemorate Land Day, a day in 1976 when Israeli military forces shot and killed six young Palestinians who were among thousands protesting the Israeli government’s expropriation of Palestinian land.

This Land Day will again see Palestinians across the world protest for the right to return and for freedom for their homeland. This year the world's attention to the plight of Palestinians has been heightened because of the international movement in solidarity with Ahed Tamimi.

Meredith Aby from the Anti-War Committee explained, “Over 12,000 Palestinian children have been arrested since 2000! No child should be thrown into a military prison without a fair trial, denied access to parents or lawyers, and be subjected to abuse. Join with us on Land Day to say Free Palestine and Free Ahed Tamimi!”

On Dec. 19, 2017, 16-year-old Ahed Tamimi was arrested by Israeli occupation troops when they raided her house in the middle of the night. She was arrested for slapping an IDF soldier while attempting to defend herself, her family and her country. This month she accepted a plea bargain and she should be released in July. She was fined about $1400 and given a three-year suspended sentence.

Kent Mori, also a member of the Anti-War Committee reacted to Tamimi’s recent sentence, “Ahed Tamimi's sentence really exposes Israel's apartheid system of justice, one justice system for the occupiers, and another for the Palestinians. An Israeli soldier attempts to murder her cousin Muhammad Tamimi, and Ahed reacts with a slap, for which she'll now be imprisoned for eight months. Compare Ahed's treatment, after her righteous and brave instinct, to the treatment of the Israeli soldier who was videotaped murdering a defenseless Palestinian, or to the arsonist settlers who burned a Palestinian baby, Ali Dawabsha, alive.”

The Middle East Committee of Women Against Military Madness holds a weekly vigil at Summit and Snelling every Friday to raise awareness about the situation in Palestine and to challenge U.S. support for Israel.

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