Israel/Palestinian Terr.: Israeli army threatens Gaza border protest /update 2

Event

On Wednesday, March 28, a high-ranking Israeli general warned that the army would open fire on protesters who approached the Israeli border “dangerously.” Additional Israeli troops, snipers, and drones have been deployed the border area.

This threat comes ahead of a planned six-week tent city protest along the Israeli-Gazan border beginning on Friday, March 30, in which thousands of Palestinians are expected to participate. March 30 also coincides with "Land Day," an annual commemoration to denounce Israeli land expropriation. The six-week protest period is scheduled to end with a mass march to the Israeli border, tentatively scheduled for May 15 to coincide with the Nakba ("catastrophe"), which is commemorated annually to mark the 1948 Palestinian exodus from the territory that became Israel.

Clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel are likely.

Context

A spike in tensions and cross-border incidents has been observed in Israel and the Palestinian Territories in the wake of US President Donald Trump's December 2017 announcement that the US would officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a departure from the previous US and international position of neutrality on the status of the city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. In February, American officials announced that the embassy would open a temporary location in Jerusalem by mid-May 2018, ahead of the anticipated schedule.

"Land Day" is annually observed among Palestinians on March 30. It commemorates the events of that day in 1976 when six Arab-Israeli citizens were killed and hundreds more wounded or arrested amid a general strike and widespread protests over land confiscated by Israeli authorities.

The Gaza Strip has been under Hamas control, and subject to an Israeli-imposed blockade, since June 2007. Humanitarian conditions have deteriorated significantly over the past decade, due in large part to shortages of potable water and regular, widespread power cuts. The coastal enclave is one of the most densely-populated regions of the world, home to over 2 million people. 

Advice

Individuals present in Israel and the Palestinian Territories are advised to avoid all protests or other public gatherings due to the risk of violence and to monitor developments to the situation.

Due to the underlying terrorist threat, travelers in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and to remain vigilant when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, prominent hotels and restaurants, etc.). As a reminder, several Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and areas near the Israeli-Lebanese, Israeli-Syrian, and Israeli-Egyptian borders