The Daily Star - Clampdown likely on the border Sunday - June 03, 2011

By Patrick Galey

The Daily Star BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army will declare the area near the Blue Line a “closed military zone” ahead of Palestinian Naksa Day demonstrations planned for Sunday in a bid to prevent a repeat of the casualties protesters sustained during a march to the border last month, a military source said Thursday. Palestinian officials said they would abide by any official decision from the army but promised to go ahead with protests to mark the anniversary of the 1967 war, as United Nations officials urged restraint from both sides of the Blue Line. “The Lebanese Army declared the area adjacent to the border a closed military zone in anticipation of any developments that could take place on Naksa Day,” the military source told The Daily Star. Eleven protesters were killed and more than 100 wounded when Israel soldiers opened fire on civilians during a mass march to the Blue Line May 15 – the anniversary of the Nakba, or “catastrophe” of the 1948 displacement of Palestinians. The shooting drew international condemnation and the Army is reportedly keen to avoid a repeat incident this Sunday. Yasser Azzam, Hamas official and organizer of the Nakba march, said the party was awaiting directions from the Lebanese Army regarding Sunday’s security arrangements. “Our aim is to reach the borders, regardless of the date of the march. We as Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are not concerned with June 5,” he told The Daily Star. Azzam added that there had been talk of arranging an alternative demonstration at Khiam, the site of a notorious Israeli detention center during its occupation of southern Lebanon, less than 4 kilometers from the Blue Line. Issam Halabi, the head of Fatah’s press office, said that his party would abide by any order issued by the army. “If [the army] will allow us only to reach Khiam, then let it be Khiam, but we will hold special ceremonies in all the Palestinian camps to mark the Naksa,” he told The Daily Star. “We will not give the Israelis a pretext to attack Lebanon. Lebanon has hosted Palestinians since 1948 and has paid many sacrifices for the Palestinian cause. The interest of Lebanon is the interest of the Palestinian cause.” Halabi added that the party had not yet received any official instructions from the Lebanese Army for Sunday, although he expected some to be issued before the weekend. The Lebanese Resistance Movement called for a rally to liberate the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms. According to a statement from the group, a sit-in protest will commence at 11.30 a.m. Sunday in the village of Birket Naqqar. Senior United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon officials met with Lebanese Army and Israeli counterparts at the Ras al-Naqoura Blue Line crossing and discussed the May 15 killings, as well as ways to avoid another bloody altercation. “It is imperative that we do our utmost to avoid future incidents leading to violations of Resolution 1701, and to prevent civilian casualties, rising tensions and danger of escalation along the Blue Line,” Major General Alberto Asarta Cuevas, UNIFIL’s commander, said after the meeting. Israeli patrols erected additional barbed wire on stretches of its Technical Fence Thursday, which runs close to the Blue Line. Israeli media reported that soldiers stationed along the Blue Line Sunday will be provided with non-lethal ammunition, such as rubber bullets, to train against protesters who approach the frontier. Prime Minister Designate Najib Mikati met with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams and discussed Sunday’s proposed march, as well as last week’s attack on a UNIFIL convoy, which wounded six peacekeepers, one severely. Mikati hoped that “that security will prevail in the south and that Israel will not once again create tension by continuing its attacks on demonstrators and violating Lebanon’s sovereignty.” Azzam said that several Palestinian and pro-Palestinian factions had agreed to participate in actions Sunday, including Hamas, Fatah, the Lebanese Communist Party, and the Popular Nasserite Movement, with Hezbollah and Amal expected to take part in “symbolic numbers.” “There are ongoing preparations to mark the Naksa, whether we are allowed to reach the border or not,” Azzam said.