10,000 police brace for expected ’Nakba Day’ protests

A few months ago, as the number of Facebook users who pressed “Like” on pages that called for a third intifada and large-scale demonstrations on Sunday increased, the IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) began to sit up and take notice.

May 15 is the day the Palestinians commemorate the Nakba, the “catastrophe” that was the establishment of the “State of Israel.”

At first, the IOF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) downplayed the significance of the Facebook pages and the impact they would have on the ground. But then the entire Middle East shook, and Facebook proved to have extraordinary power to mobilize the masses in Cairo’s Tahrir Square as it helped opposition groups topple President Hosni Mubarak.

As the number of “Likes” continued to grow and eventually reached around 350,000 on over 100 different pages, the IOF and Shin Bet decided to see if it was possible to analyze the people who were pledging their support for the demonstrations – who they were, what their background was and how committed they were to the cause.

The rough assessment that evolved from the Facebook analysis was that the demonstrations would not be as bad as some had initially expected. Yes, the Palestinians will march. But no, they will likely not come armed to the demonstrations or open fire at Israeli troops.

This does not mean that the IOF is not taking the weekend of potential demonstrations seriously. The opposite is more accurate, as can be seen by the massive reinforcements dispatched to the scene – the largest such deployment in the West Bank in the past three years.

Nearly 10,000 border police officers were expected to be stationed throughout the country Sunday in cities with Arab and Jewish populations and areas where conflict is expected in light of “Nakba Day.”

Police were asked to show restraint and not release live fire, unless there existed a real threat to human life.

CENTRAL COMMAND

Archive -- Palestinian protest

Increased security in east Jerusalem and surrounding areas was expected to continue for the next few days.

Demonstrators on Sunday morning threw stones at Border Police forces near a gas station in Issawyia as part of the 'Nakba Day' protests.

The Israeli forces, with the aid of a helicopter, managed to disperse the stone-throwers. There were no reports of injuries in the incident.

Tensions rose in east Jerusalem this weekend following the shooting death of a Palestinian youth during a riot in the capital’s Silwan neighborhood.

At police headquarters in Jerusalem on Saturday evening, Insp.-Gen. Yochanan Danino spoke with intelligence officials and commanders from the Border Police, the Operations Branch and the Jerusalem district, and drew up final plans for Sunday, Jerusalem Post reported.

“We will allow for demonstrations and we will act with restraint. But we will not allow violent disturbances,” Danino said.

Jerusalem police and Border Police units remain deployed in force in east Jerusalem, and are on standby in case of further rioting, Jerusalem Post quoted spokesman Micky Rosenfeld as saying.

Officers are also deployed in larger than normal numbers in the North, including near Umm el-Fahm and in the surrounding Wadi Ara region.

Crossings with Judea and Samaria would be temporarily closed to Palestinians on Sunday, the IOF announced on Saturday night. The closure began on Saturday at 11:59 p.m. and will be lifted on Sunday at the same time.

Persons in need of medical attention, humanitarian aid or exceptional assistance will be permitted to pass for care, with the authorization of the civil administration.

NORTHERN COMMAND

Northern Command sources say there are expectations that Palestinians in Lebanon will travel to the border to participate in protests, Jerusalem post said.

IOF troops will be deployed in large numbers throughout the West Bank and along the border with Lebanon on Friday, amid expectations that massive demonstrations will break out on both fronts ahead of Nakba Day (“the day of the catastrophe”.)

The IOF began reinforcing troops in the West Bank earlier this week, here several Palestinian groups have called for large demonstrations along Israel’s various borders ahead of Nakba Day, which is the Palestinian commemoration of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

Expectations are that the demonstrations will start on Friday, and last until Sunday.

Expected hotspots in the West Bank include the Kalandiya Checkpoint outside of Jerusalem, near the Ofer Prison off Road 443, as well as Nablus, Tulkarm and Ramallah.

Officers from the IOF’s Northern Command spoke with UNIFIL this week, and warned of severe consequences if Palestinian demonstrators try to damage the Lebanon's border with Occupied Palestine during the demonstrations.