JERUSALEM ? Thousands of Palestinians massed in front of large television screens in the main squares of cities in the West Bank on Friday to watch President Mahmoud Abbas speak at the United Nations and formally announce the Palestinians? request for full membership in the world body.
But at least one Palestinian was killed in a pre-speech clash with Israeli settlers and security forces, and there was concern that violence could spread as the day progressed.
The Israeli military has heavily boosted its presence around the West Bank, worried that the Palestinian move toward international recognition of its statehood might inspire large-scale marches or violence against some of the 330,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank. They were equally concerned that radical settlers could promote confrontations.
A police spokesman said there were 22,000 Israeli police deployed in the West Bank.
At Kalandia, the often-tense crossing point between Ramallah and Jerusalem, Israeli troops used tear gas against several dozen stone throwers. Near the village of Qusra, a dozen settlers from a nearby outpost arrived to pray, an act viewed as a provocation by the villagers. Several thousand Palestinians marched toward them, some with Palestinian flags, and Israeli troops intervened. There were a few injuries and a Palestinian protester was among the dead. The Israeli military said it was investigating how that had happened.
Israel barred access to men under age 50 to Jerusalem?s Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam?s third holiest site, afraid of unrest. The prayer sessions ended without incident.
In the village of Nabi Saleh, where there are weekly Friday demonstrations against Israeli occupation, a large chair painted in the blue of the United Nations was carried in a procession, a symbol of the aspiration for Palestine to be declared the organization?s 194th member. Israeli flags and posters of President Obama were also burned ? Mr. Obama?s Wednesday speech at the General Assembly angered Palestinians for its pro-Israel content.
In Gaza, ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, rivals to Mr. Abbas?s Fatah party, Prime Minister Ismail Haniya told reporters after Friday prayers that the United Nations membership bid was a mistake because ?the Palestinian people do not beg for a state.? He said the only hope was for a Palestinian state to be ?snatched from the Zionist occupation, not the United Nations.?
He added, ?As Palestinians, we want a state. But this state must enjoy full sovereignty and must not be at the expense of the Palestinian rights and principles, mainly the right of return to our land that Israel has occupied in 1948.?
Mr. Haniya also called on Mr. Abbas to start a dialogue with Hamas if the United Nations effort fails.
?Given the American oppression and European dodge, we tell Abbas to come back to the Palestinian people and launch a strategic national dialogue,? he said. ?This strategy must be based on maintaining the national principles, resistance, bolstering the Palestinian people and increasing diplomatic and political work with our Arab brothers.?
Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=03f6b1dc38cb669d106b475945b6bd6d
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