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Community Land Scotland

A statement of solidarity with our ILC partners in Palestine

12 February 2024

We are releasing a statement of support and solidarity for our International Land Coalition partners in Palestinian territories who are concerned around the long-term security of their land rights. 

We are a proud member of the International Land Coalition (ILC), a global network of land activists and land rights organisations. The ILC has a collective ‘vision of a just, equitable and sustainable world, based on securing the rights and shifting power to the women, men and communities who live on and from the land’.

Since the Hamas attacks on Israel and the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023 Community Land Scotland shares the dismay of other ILC members at the tragic loss of lives on both sides.

Secure land rights provide the basis for sustainable and secure existence globally and we share the ILC’s concern that the current conflict ‘will reverberate for generations, while undoing years of work done by our members for people-centred land governance’.

We applaud the work of The Arab Centre of Agriculture Development over many years in advancing the cause of land rights and in pointing to the dangers of the current situation facing farmers and pastoralist families and communities.

Before the conflict the Palestinian Farmer’s Union had been seeking to bolster Palestinian land rights through projects which enhanced access to land, for example rehabilitating agricultural roads and installing water pipelines. By increasing cultivated land the Palestinian Farmer’s Union aim to increase food security and protect land. They see these efforts, and the land and food security of Palestinians, as being currently under threat.

Community Land Scotland unites in solidarity with The Arab Centre of Agriculture Development, the Palestinian Farmer’s Union and other ILC members around the world to defend land rights.

Information:

Dr Josh Doble is the Policy Manager for Community Land Scotland