BICOM

The IDF are finalising their preparations for Operation Summer Seeds, in expectation of “mass disorder” from Palestinians and a possible confrontation that could take place following the vote at the UN General Assembly for a Palestinian state in September. According to a document, acquired by Haaretz, the main assumption of the IDF is that the UN vote will cause public uprisings and mass disorder. The mass disorder includes marches towards the main junctions, Israeli communities, Israeli government offices and in more extreme cases of shooting from within the crowd or terror related incidents.

The IDF is also concerned over clashes that could take place between Palestinians and Israeli residents living in the West Bank. The IDF have held several training sessions and meetings with security officials, which protect the West Bank settlements. The measures by the army include setting up two virtual lines for each settlement area near Palestinian villages. The first line, if crossed by Palestinian protesters, will be met with tear gas and other crowd dispersion methods, while the second “red” line, if crossed, will allow soldiers to fire live rounds at the legs of the demonstrators, as is also standard practice if the northern border is crossed.

The main message the IDF is attempting to conveying ahead of September is that the demonstrations will be controlled and that the army has sufficient forces in order to deal with disturbances.