Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Israelis Brace for Unrest Over U.N. Bid

The Israel Defense Forces have bolstered troop levels in the West Bank against the possibility of widespread disturbances today. But the Central Command?s assessment is that the Palestinian Authority security services will continue to prevent demonstrators from reaching areas under Israeli control.

While the IDF has no indication that violence will erupt, it worries that events in New York – where PA President Mahmoud Abbas will address the UN General Assembly today and formally apply for UN recognition as a state – could inflame tempers, as could Friday prayers in the mosques.

An attack by settlers on Palestinians could also spark wider disturbances, and this possibility is currently one of the IDF?s chief concerns.

?We?re in touch with rabbis and public leaders, but there?s no one to pick up the phone to,? explained a senior Central Command officer.

The Islamist Hamas organization has declared today a ?day of rage,? but the IDF believes Hamas lacks the infrastructure to foment widespread disturbances in the West Bank.

?The PA leadership and its security forces have no interest in the protests getting out of control,? the Central Command officer said, and thus far, security coordination with the PA has been excellent. ?But the question is whether they can control and contain a large outbreak.?

For more, go to Haaretz.com

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.