Israel puts police force on high alert, anticipates clashes

Women in the settlement of Gush Eitsaon are learning how  to use firearms and machine guns Jerusalem /Ramallah  - Sona Al-Deek/ Nazeer Taha Israeli police have declared a state of alert from Friday morning onwards in anticipation of demonstrations and clashes related to the Palestinian UN statehood bid. The Israeli government strengthened the police presence around the Al-Aqsa mosque last night.
Israeli sources said that in addition to the weapons purchased to disperse demonstrations; around 22,000 police were on high alert, including 9,000 who were yet to complete their training.
The army is also preparing troops, although it expects that the Palestinian security forces will prevent Palestinians from encroaching on areas under Israeli control.
Fatah has called on all Palestinians to congregate in public squares to watch the Mahmoud Abbas’s speech to the United Nations on Friday.
A statement issued by the group’s media committee said that the speech will be broadcast live on big screens at six o'clock local time in city centres.
Munir Al-Jaghob, the head of the media committee, said that the Lovers Band will also play in Nablus at six.
Meanwhile, the Israeli website, Tech Deepak, a close associate of Israeli military intelligence, claimed on Thursday that Hamas has issued orders to all of its members to launch attacks on Israeli targets,
The site claimed that Hamas had urged Palestinians to break into Israeli settlements in the West Bank and carry out “terrorist” attacks and burn large areas of Israel in response to US President, Barack Obama’s speech at the UN.
"The demonstrators might try to approach checkpoints in Jerusalem in order to enter the city on the pretext of praying in Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
In response, women in the settlement of Gush Eitsaon have learned to use firearms and machine guns, in anticipation of Palestinian attacks on their settlements.
The Hebrew newspaper "Maariv" claimed on Thursday, that the women gathered on Wednesday afternoon for training.
The newspaper quoted an official in the settlement’s security center, Moshe Cohen: "a group of women who has never used weapons before gathered at 5 am in the settlement courtyard to begin their training. They are concerned about Palestinian attacks on their houses.”
The Israeli army chief, Bani Gints, said on Thursday that the Palestinian Authority was working to control the situation in the West Bank.