Demonstrations are planned in cities around the world this weekend, including in some conservative US states, to mark one year since Israel’s war in Gaza began. The gatherings, called a Global Day of Action, which have been in the works for some time, will also highlight Israel’s recent escalation of the war in Lebanon and other neighbouring countries. “We’ve seen this form of collective punishment in Gaza, and now it’s expanding,” Nidaa Lafi, a Dallas-based organiser with the Palestinian Youth Movement, told The New Arab. “This day of action is for us to send a message to western governments …