Police in Israel have started to carry out patrols and security sweeping the streets of a neighborhood in Jerusalem, anxiously preparing for a US embassy inauguration that Israelis and Palestinians fear may launch a week of violence.
The move on 14 May will mark the beginning of a doubtlessly risky week when Israel will celebrate its 70th anniversary and Palestinians mark the “catastrophe”, or Nakba, of their displacement on the 15th.
Nakba day has seen violence because the Israeli military responds to demonstrations within the occupied territories. This year, tensions are far greater than common. Six weeks of protests alongside the Gaza border, throughout which Israeli soldiers have shot dead practically 40 people and wounded a whole lot, will culminate that week.
There are fears that those attending the rallies might try to breach the perimeter, a transfer that could lead to mass casualties as Israeli snipers are working under rules of engagement that allow live fire.
“The situation between Israelis and Palestinians could not be more delicate,” wrote Ilan Goldenberg, who served as part of the US team during the 2013-14 Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, in an opinion piece for the Israeli paper Haaretz.
Israel’s police spokesman, Mickey Rosenfeld, said officials were assessing the level of security needed for the opening, including deploying CCTV cameras and Guards in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Arnona, where the current US consulate is retrofitted to become the embassy.
“We’re still waiting to see if the US president wants to come here for the opening move.” The level of security is accordingly raised, “he said. Jared Kushner
The US embassy transfer wants to be preceded by the 12 May deadline for Iran. Iranian military sites in neighboring Syria.
Goldenberg said the “flood of huge events” could be overwhelming: “A toxic witches brew of political instability and further potential violence is stewing in the Middle East.”
> Shiuly Rina
Israel Afraid of ‘Explosion of Violence’ as US Getting Ready to Open Embassy in Jerusalem
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