This article was originally published by Maan News and is republished with permission.

A national day of mourning will be held across the Palestinian territories on Thursday to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.

Palestinian and black flags will be raised on roof tops of buildings, a partial public strike will be conducted between 12-1 am on Thursday in addition to demonstrations in cities across the West Bank.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the National Committee for Commemorating the Nakba called for all Palestinians to participate in the action in protest at " the celebrations by the state of occupation [Israel] at its establishment on the remains of Palestinian cities and villages by expressing the clinging of the Palestinians of their 'Right of Return' which is a legitimate right."

Meanwhile, the High National Committee for Commemorating the Nakba and the subsidiary committee of the Al-Bireh and Ramallah have begun preparations for a ten day camp near the presidential compound in Ramallah that will include national activities, symposiums, cultural and art exhibitions and oral narration from refugees expelled from their homeland.
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Omer A'saf, a member of the committee said that "over the coming 12 hours there will be live television broadcasts of protests from the cities of Ramallah, Beirut, Cairo and Paris in addition to other activities including a lecture on ' Palestine… history and geography', a gallery, and documentaries and the distributing of pamphlets for the youths and children."

Among other activities to commemorate the Nakba, the cultural centre of the village of Beit A'nan and a number of the organizations of the civil community in the area of north west of Jerusalem will organize a rally on Friday afternoon. More than 500 children will participate, each wearing a uniform carrying banners, keys and Palestinian flags under the slogan " so that we will not live the Nakba twice."

The rally will set out from a local school in the nearby village of Beit Ijza to the adjacent village of Bedu, where a festival will be held commemorating the Nakba.