▁were ▁killed ▁by ▁Isra eli ▁police . ▁The ▁reason ▁for ▁the ▁Land ▁Day ▁follows : ▁ ▁On ▁March ▁ 1 1 , ▁ 1 9 7 6 , ▁the ▁Isra eli ▁government ▁published ▁an ▁ex prop ri ation ▁plan ▁including ▁lands ▁in ▁the ▁Gal ile e . ▁It ▁affected ▁some ▁ 2 0 , 0 0 0 ▁d un ams ▁of ▁land ▁between ▁the ▁Arab ▁villages ▁of ▁Sak hn in ▁and ▁Ar ra ba . ▁The ▁land ▁was ▁said ▁to ▁be ▁used ▁for ▁security ▁purposes , ▁but ▁was ▁also ▁used ▁to ▁build ▁new ▁Jewish ▁only ▁settlement s . ▁David ▁Mc D ow all ▁ident ifies ▁the ▁res umption ▁of ▁land ▁se iz ures ▁in ▁the ▁Gal ile e ▁and ▁the ▁acceleration ▁of ▁land ▁ex prop ri ations ▁in ▁the ▁West ▁Bank ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 7 0 s ▁as ▁the ▁immediate ▁catal yst ▁for ▁both ▁the ▁Land ▁Day ▁demonstr ation ▁and ▁similar ▁demonstr ations ▁that ▁were ▁taking ▁place ▁contempor ane ously ▁in ▁the ▁West ▁Bank . ▁He ▁writes : ▁" Nothing ▁served ▁to ▁bring ▁the ▁two ▁Palest in ian ▁communities ▁together ▁polit ically ▁more ▁than ▁the ▁question ▁of ▁land ." ▁ ▁Notable ▁buildings ▁Andrew ▁Peters en , ▁an ▁arch ae ologist ▁special izing ▁in ▁Islam ic ▁architecture , ▁survey ed ▁the ▁place ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 4 , ▁and ▁found ▁several ▁interesting ▁buildings . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 8 7 0 s ▁Guer in ▁saw ▁the ▁mos que ▁which ▁he ▁thought ▁had ▁probably ▁once ▁been ▁a ▁church ▁on ▁the ▁basis