Palestinians Mark Nakba with Protests, Strike
Palestinians and Arab-Israelis prepared on Tuesday to mark Nakba day, commemorating the exodus of hundreds of thousands of their kin after the establishment of Israel state in 1948.
Protests were scheduled to take place across the Palestinian territories, and an Agencce France Presse correspondent said clashes broke out early on Tuesday between police and stone-throwing demonstrators in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya.
Israel also said a projectile fired from Gaza landed in the country's south, though it was unclear if it was linked to the Nakba day commemoration.
"An explosive device fired from the Gaza Strip, a rocket or a mortar shell, landed early this morning in southern Israel, causing no injuries or damage," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.
Israeli security forces are on alert ahead of the main Nakba day commemorations, which have in the past often resulted in clashes with troops and police.
Tuesday's main rally is slated for the West Bank city of Ramallah, but demonstrations are also expected by the nearby Ofer military prison and Qalandia checkpoint.
A mass rally is scheduled to take place in the Gaza Strip around 08:00 GMT, with smaller protests to be held elsewhere in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, which represents Arab communities in Israel, has called for a general strike and for Arab-Israelis to visit the sites of former Palestinian villages.
May 15 has traditionally been the day when Palestinians mark the "Nakba" or "catastrophe," when hundreds of thousands of them fled or were expelled from their homes in the war that accompanied Israel's declaration of independence.
More than 760,000 Palestinians -- estimated today to number 4.7 million with their descendants -- fled or were driven out of their homes.
Around 160,000 Palestinians stayed behind and are now known as Arab Israelis. They now number about 1.3 million people, or some 20 percent of the population.
Rosenfeld said on Monday that extra forces would be deployed in anticipation of Nakba day.
"We are coordinating with the military and border police, we hope things will be quiet," he said. "We have mobilized a number of units in various areas," he said, without elaborating.
Last year, Israeli troops opened fire on demonstrators from Lebanon and Syria as they tried to breach a security fence and enter Israel. Four protesters from Syria were killed along with another 10 from Lebanon. Hundreds were wounded.
A senior military official in Israel's northern command said troops had trained to handle all situations, although they were not aware of plans for any big demonstrations along the borders.
"We are getting ready for all kinds of provocations," he told AFP on condition of anonymity.
This year's Nakba events are largely expected to be peaceful, with protesters hailing a mass hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The strike appeared to have come to an end on Monday night after an Egyptian-mediated deal under which Israel offered a number of measures easing prison conditions in exchange for an end to the hunger strike.
Source: Agence France Presse
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