Palestinians Worldwide to Hold Return Marches on the anniversay of al-Nakba Day

Thousands of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are set to march towards the borders of occupied Palestinian territories to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of al-Nakba Day.

Nakba Day, or the day of catastrophe, marks the 63rd anniversary of the occupation of Palestine by the Israeli army and the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their land in 1948.

The Israeli soldiers wiped nearly 500 Palestinian villages and towns off the map during the offensive, leaving the Palestinian refugees dreaming of an eventual return to their homeland more than six decades later.

Organizers of the rally expected 50,000 protesters to march towards the villages of Bint Jbail and Maroun al-Ras in outhern Lebanon on Sunday.

Thousands of Israeli troops are on high alert across the occupied lands due to the protests in the run-up to Sunday's commemoration of the Nakba Day.

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians gathered in Jabaliya and Nuseirat refugee camps in the northern and central parts of the Gaza strip on Friday to commemorate the Nakba Day.

WEST BANK

On the same day, thousands of demonstrators held Palestinian flags and a giant key symbolic of their optimism to return home in the West Bank town of Beit Lahm (Bethlehem).

Israeli occupation forces blockaded yesterday overnight the West Bank cities to avoid confrontations with Palestinians who are preparing to mark the 63rd anniversary of al-Nakba day.

Local sources reported that Israeli forces deployed nearly 10.000 policeman and soldiers especially in the East Jerusalem and in 1948 territories.

Sources added that Israeli presence will be intensified during the next days in order to prevent any military attacks by Palestinian fighters.

A Palestinian teenager was shot in his stomach on Friday during clashes erupted in Silwan town in the East Jerusalem.

Today, Israeli forces invaded civilians’ houses and tampered with their contents in the Old city in Jerusalem, abducting a number of Palestinian youths.

JORDAN

Thousands of Palestinians and Arabs began to gather on the Jordanian side of the borders with Occupied Palestine to mark the 63rd anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba and to call for the return of refugees to their homes and lands they were forced to leave in 1948 when Israel was created.

Yesterday, hundreds of protesters, heeding a call from Palestinian Facebook organizers, took to the streets in the capital Amman and called for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state on Friday.

Organizers set May 13, 14, and 15 to implement the plan of return to Palestine. On Friday, thousands of people gathered for Friday prayer in support of the Palestinian cause in Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Pakistan. Calls were made for Saturday protests outside US and Israeli embassies worldwide.

The plan will reach a highlight on Sunday when Arabs in countries neighbouring Palestine march to the borders with Occupied Palestine, while participants in other countries will gather in front of US embassies and consulates.

The Return March to the Occupied Land, or the Third Palestinian Intifada, as some websites have called it, is an attempt by Palestinians and Arabs to bring hundreds of thousands of people to participate in protests near the borders with Occupied Palestine to call for the right of return for refugees.

The calls were made through the electronic social media networks, mainly Facebook.