From the Irish Times
There is a feeling the Palestinians and Arab states are trying to undermine Israel’s legitimacy, writes MARK WEISS in Jerusalem
A SPECTRE is haunting Israel: the spectre of Palestinian mass civil unrest. Twice in recent weeks troops have opened fire with live rounds in an effort to stop unarmed Palestinian civilians crossing into Israel.
The first time coincided with Nakba (Catastrophe) day, the day Palestinians mark the anniversary of Israel’s establishment in 1948. Although Israel had mobilised its forces in the West Bank and along the Gaza border, the focus of the protests was along the country’s northern borders with Lebanon and Syria.
About 100 Palestinian refugees living in Syria succeeded in breaching the border and crossed into the Golan Heights. One infiltrator even managed to reach Tel Aviv. Ten protesters were killed on the border.
The events sent shock waves throughout the Israeli establishment. Suddenly the Palestinian refugee problem was thrust into the limelight. The refugees and their descendants, some carrying what they claimed were keys to family homes in pre-1948 Mandate Palestine, were, for the first time , trying to fulfil the “right of return”.
There was a widespread consensus among the mainstream Zionist parties that, if the phenomenon was not stamped out quickly, it could escalate out of control and develop into a strategic threat with many thousands of refugees marching on Israel’s borders. more
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