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Annual Israeli protest From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The March of Return (Arabic: مسيرة العودة, romanized: Masīrat al-ʻAwdah) is an annual protest march in Israel organized by the Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (ADRID), also known as the Committee of the Uprooted,[1] which represents the "Present absentees", i.e. the Palestinian citizens of Israel who are internally displaced. The march takes place annually on or around Nakba Day or Land Day, with a different destination each year – each year one of the c.400 depopulated Palestinian villages in Israel is chosen.[2][3]
The march traces its origins to the early 1980s when hundreds of Palestinian Israelis marched to commemorate their expulsion from Kafr Bir'im, gradually institutionalizing the practice of private family visits to destroyed villages.[3] The march intersects with the tradition of Land Day commemoration, following the 1976 land confiscations, which diversified in the 1980s to include organized visits to depopulated villages.[3]
The Committee of the Uprooted first organized a Land Day rally in the depopulated village of Al-Ghabisiyya in 1995. In 1998, they named their annual event a "March of Return", beginning a tradition of a mass march to different depopulated villages each year on Nakba Day. The event's secular character, with mixed-gender participation, dabka dancing, and secular music, contrasts with the Palestinian Israeli Islamist factions' more reserved attitude. The marches have been unified, peaceful festivals, contrasting with Nakba Day events in the West Bank that have been marked by confrontations and violence against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.[3]
The Committee of the Uprooted orchestrates the marches in conjunction with Israeli authorities, aiming to avoid provocation and maintain positive relations with Israeli Jewish communities. Efforts include discipline in protest expressions, careful route planning to avoid conflicts with Jewish localities, and refraining from marching to certain villages. Jewish participation, including speakers and organizational involvement, has been consistently maintained, though it remains a largely Palestinian-led initiative.[3]
The list below summarizes the destinations of the marches, and where known, the attendance:[4]
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