With the exception of a few isolated outbreaks, Israel's worst fears of violence were not realized on Wednesday with the opening of the U.N. General Assembly, soon to deliberate on the issue of Palestinian statehood.
At the Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah, Palestinian youth threw stones at Israeli soldiers and burned tires. Soldiers responded with crowd dispersal equipment, including the "Scream," a non-lethal sound amplifying device that sends out of a focused wave of loud, unpleasant sound. Three Palestinians were arrested.
In other areas, Palestinian in Judea and Samaria threw stones at Israeli vehicles. Israeli vehicles driving in Gush Etzion, Binyamin and Karmei Tzur in Judea and Samaria were met with volleys of stones. Rock throwers also hit Israeli buses driving through the Yeta Intersection as well as Kfar Al-Aruv in Gush Etzion. Vehicles driving around Hebron and near Nablus were similarly pelted by barrages of stones.
A one-and-half-year-old girl was wounded when the car in which she was traveling was struck in Migdalei Shomron, a settlement near Nablus. The toddler was taken to hospital for head injuries. Ttwo suspects were arrested.
An Israeli reported hearing gunfire near the Israeli Arab village Kfar Azun, a few miles from Raanana. The man later noticed that his car had been punctured twice by a bullet entering and emerging from it.
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Dozens of Palestinians marched toward the settlement Beit Hagai in the southern Hebron hills. They burned tires and attempted to light fields on fire but were dispersed by IDF troops. Beit Hagai residents experienced rock throwing throughout the day.
"The events that transpired [on Wednesday] were not the big mess we were preparing for," an IDF official said. The comprehensive battle plan for anticipated violent protests, Operation Summer Seeds, was not even put into action, he said.
The deployment of Palestinian security forces at points of friction and their cooperation with the IDF prevented many altercations, Palestinian Security Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Adnan Damiri said. "We are currently prepared for the people taking to the streets on Thursday and Friday, primarily to see [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas' speech televised on huge screens throughout our cities," Damiri said.
The IDF and Israel's security establishment say the real test will come on Friday, when the combination of Friday prayers and the initial outcome of the Palestinian statehood bid may prove to be a volatile mix.
