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See: Balad בל"ד (Brit Leumit Demokratit ברית לאומית דמוקרטית al-Tajamu' al-Watani al-Dimuqrati) ("National Democratic League") for the Arab party in the Knesset of Israel.

Abnaa el-Balad (Arabic: ابنا البلد, Sons of the Land or Sons and Daughters of the Country or People of the Homeland Movement) is a secular movement made up primarily of Arab citizens of Israel who identify as Palestinian. The stated goals of the movement are: the return of all Palestinian refugees, an end to Israeli's occupation of territories, and the establishment of a democratic secular Palestinian state.[1][2] The movement's membership is open to and includes Jewish citizens of Israel who identify as Palestinian Jews.[3] Israel considers the movement legitimate but radical. Abnaa el-Balad has boycotted involvement in the Israeli Knesset since its inception.[4]

The movement was founded in 1969 and began to attract support after the events surrounding Land Day in 1976.

In 1992 and 1993, the Abnaa el-Balad Movement and the NGO of the same name participated in The Ninth and Tenth United Nations International NGO Meetings on the Question of Palestine which were held under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and held in Geneva and Vienna, respectively.[5][6]

In 1996, Abnaa el-Balad and a number of other political, intellectual and feminist groups formed a coalition called the National Democratic Alliance. It takes a "Palestinian nationalist" position and calls for "a state for all its citizens".[7]

In 2003, Ittijah, an Arab NGO network in Israel, formed the Committee for the Defense of Freedoms to "confront political persecution and harassment against Palestinian political movements and attacks against Palestinian organizations in Israel, which includes organizations such as the Islamic Movement, the Abnaa al-Balad Movement, and Ansar al-Sajeen."[8]

Several of the movement's leaders were arrested on 7 February 2004 for smuggling instructions for explosive and rocket preparation to Fatah militants in Jenin on behalf of Hezbollah, including its General Secretary Mohammad Kana’neh (also known as Muhammad Kannaane).[9] Kana'neh had been prevented from crossing into Jordan twice during June of 2002 by Israeli authorities.[10]

A Haifa district court sentenced Mohammad Kana’neh to two and a half years imprisonment for "association with a foreign agent", while his brother Husam was sentenced to ten and a half years for "aiding the enemy". In November 2005, an appeals court extended Mohammad Kana’neh's sentence by two years to four and a half years imprisonment.[11]

Abnaa el-Balad called for Palestinian citizens of Israel to boycott the 2006 Knesset elections.[12] It did so through its affiliated organization The Popular Committee for Boycotting the Knesset Elections ( اللجنة الشعبية لمقاطعة انتخابات الكنيس). This call was rejected by most Palestinian citizens of Israel, partly through the vocal responses of the Balad and the Hadash political parties.

External links

• The movement's website (English page)
• Goals of the movement (from its website)
• Imprisonment details on Autonomy & Solidarity (activist website)
• An interview with Mohammad Kana’neh on Prensa Obrera (from 2003)
• Adalah website Palestinian human rights organization in Israel involved in the case.
• Press report on repression
• Interview with Kana'neh
• Hands off Abnaa el-Balad article