|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110529/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
Israel Braces for Border Clashes in Coming Days
(AP) Josef Federman - The Israeli military is preparing for the possibility of violent protests along its borders in the coming days, aiming to avoid a repeat of deadly unrest that erupted earlier this month, a senior military official told the Associated Press on Sunday. Facebook-organized activists have called for demonstrations next weekend in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Mideast war, in which Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The official said the army hopes to avoid civilian casualties but would set "red lines" for the demonstrations. That means Israel will not allow demonstrators to burst across the borders - as they did on the Syria-Israel border on May 15. He said Israel will not react to nonviolent demonstrations, but that it would be forced to take action in "life-threatening" situations. The official said the army will be much better prepared this time around. Larger numbers of troops will be deployed, and they will be equipped with crowd-control tools such as rubber bullets and water cannons.