I predicted a few weeks ago that Arab upheavals might inspire Palestinians to shift "away from warfare and terrorism in favor of non-violent political action. That could include massive non-violent demonstrations such as marching on Israeli towns, borders, and checkpoints."
Right on cue, on what Palestinians call "Nakba Day," a rejection of Israel's gaining independence on May 15, 1948, mass activity took place in a coordinated and unprecedented fashion today. A New York Times headline aptly summarizes events: "Israel Clashes with Protesters on Four Borders," being those of Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and Gaza.
Of the four, the demonstration on the normally placid Golan Heights stands out. According to Joel Greenberg of the Washington Post,
The most serious incident was on the border between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights, where thousands of protestors gathered on the Syrian side and hundreds flooded into the Israeli-held territory after flattening the border fence. Scores entered the [Israeli-controlled] Druze village of Majdal Shams, gathering in the central square, where they raised Palestinian flags.
But, being Palestinians, they could not resist resorting to violence, thereby perhaps undercutting the whole effort. According to an account in Yedi'ot Aharonot, the Syrians trampled the border fence, hurled stones at Israeli troops, wounding ten, and left Israel by early evening, shouting out "We'll be back" to the applause of local villagers.
Syrian subjects crossing en masse onto the Golan Heights without Israeli permission has never (to the best of my knowledge) happened before. And, of course, in totalitarian Syria, this sort of occurrence requires government approval. While one can ascribe this protest to Damascus's wanting to divert attention from its own internal problems, it also fits into a larger picture.
Danny Danon, a leading Likud politician, portrayed the four-sided challenge as a rehearsal for September, when the Palestinian Authority expects the U.N. General Assembly to declare a sovereign state of "Palestine." I go further and predict that this cross of civil disobedience and low-grade violence will be the Palestinians' favored tactic for some time to come. I also predict that it will fail if, as today, a death toll ensues. But it can do real damage to Israel if the leadership manages to keep the crowds non-violent. (May 15, 2011)
Syrian subjects carrying Palestinian and Syrian flags as they approach the border with Israel.
Something new: Syrians climb over the border fence to cross into the Golan Heights on May 15, 2011.
Israeli troops on guard against the unpredictable influx.
Source: http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2011/05/nakba-arab-israeli-conflict
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