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A Palestinian woman chants slogans next to a Hamas member in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in south Lebanon. (Reuters)
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| By Ellis Shuman May 15, 2001 |
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Israeli security forces are on high alert following warnings of Palestinian intentions to escalate the level of violence on the day commemorating the 53rd anniversary of the Nakba (Catastrophe). Palestinians and Israeli Arabs mark May 15th as a reminder of their claim that the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was a disaster that led to the mass exodus of Palestinians, the destruction of their villages and the loss of their homeland.
According to an Israel Radio report, security forces have received warnings of possible car bombs and other explosive devices, and are prepared to act against Palestinian shooting and mortar attacks. The departure today of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat on a scheduled trip to Egypt is seen by analysts as giving a "green light" to militant organizations to initiate terrorist acts on Nakba Day.
"Most of our intelligence reports indicate that the Palestinians are preparing more violent activities and not just peaceful demonstrations as they claim,'' Raanan Gissin, an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, told Reuters.
The Palestinian Authority has declared Tuesday a formal memorial day. Schools will be closed, a three-minute siren will be sounded at noon and a pre-recorded statement by Arafat will be broadcast afterwards. Mass demonstrations, part of a planned "March of the Million," are to be held in all major Palestinian cities.
The main Nakba memorial ceremony will take place in Ramallah, where Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish will give a speech commemorating the Palestinians' plight. Following the ceremony, demonstrators will march southwards to the A-Ram junction, where they will meet Israeli Arabs, including Arab Knesset members, marching from the opposite direction.
"The main message from both sides will be the demand for the deployment of an international force to defend Palestinians against ongoing Israeli attacks and aggression," said Abed Inbitawi, spokesman for the Supreme Arab Monitoring Committee.
Israeli Arabs plan quiet protest
"We are stressing that the ramifications of Al-Nakba are continuing with the suffering of the Palestinian people and can only be resolved when their rights to self-determination are recognized and implemented," Inbitawi told The Jerusalem Post.
Additional events have been planned for Israeli Arabs on Nakba Day:
 Cultural and educational events will take place in the schools.
Memorial tours will visit the sites of destroyed and abandoned villages.
A boycott has been planned for products produced by Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.
Protest vigils are planned for major roads that pass by Arab villages in Israel.
"We want a quiet protest, and we will do our utmost to prevent violence," Inbitawi said.
For the first time, Israel's Arab citizens will stand silently as a memorial siren commemorates the 'catastrophe' they have in common with the residents of the Palestinian controlled territories. Nakba Day is marked each year on May 15, in accordance with the international date on which the State of Israel was established.
Commenting on preparations for Nakba Day events, Gamla, a non-profit organization established with the goal of explaining the importance of Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan Heights to the security of Israel, wrote in its newsletter today, "What happened to the Arabs in 1947-8 was from their viewpoint, a catastrophe. On the other hand, it was initiated, planned and acted out by the very Arabs that are signifying this day." The newsletter suggested that Arabs today mourn the lost opportunity they missed 53 years ago - when they rejected the creation of an independent Palestinian State alongside the newly established State of Israel.
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