On this day, 28 years ago, March 3, 1997 (January 25, 1997 in the lunar calendar), Palestinians protested against Israel's establishment of a settlement in Har Homa. On February 26, 1997, the Israeli government approved the construction of a new Jewish settlement in Har Homa in East Jerusalem. This was the same day that hundreds of Palestinians held demonstrations in the Harhoma area to protest the Israeli government's plan to build new Jewish settlements in the area. On March 18, 1997, Israel began building a Jewish settlement in the Har Homa area of East Jerusalem despite strong opposition from the Palestinian side and the international community. On March 3, 1997, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank held a general strike to protest the Israeli government's decision to build a new Jewish settlement in the Har Homa area of East Jerusalem. On the 4th, Palestinian Autonomous Government Chairman Yasser Arafat expressed his belief that Jerusalem should become the capital of the two countries. On the same day, the Palestinian leadership held an emergency meeting in Ramallah, which determined the 7th of this month as the "Defense of Jerusalem Day."