Palestinians Protest Land Seizure and Control of Jerusalem

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Israeli police officers scuffled with Palestinians in Jerusalem on Friday. (Sebastian Scheiner/Associated Press)

Thousands of Palestinians protested on Friday against Israeli policies of land seizure and control of Jerusalem, leading to clashes with Israeli troops in which a 20-year-old was killed and scores of others were injured.

The annual protest, known as Land Day, drew demonstrators in groups of hundreds in locations within Israel as well as in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza. There were also solidarity marches in neighboring Lebanon and Jordan.

But weeks of organizing for a global march on Jerusalem produced less than expected as Israel’s borders remained largely calm. Security troops in riot gear were out in large numbers using rubber bullets, tear gas, water cannons filled with putrid green liquid and high-pitched noise machines.

Land Day commemorates events in March 1976 when Israel confiscated land from Galilee Arab villages, leading to protests in which six Arabs were killed. This year, the focus was extended to Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem — which Palestinians want as the capital of a future state — and there were calls for protests and marches around the world.

full: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/world/middleeast/palestinians-protest-land-seizure-and-control-of-jerusalem.html