Israeli
soldiers east of the West Bank city of Nablus, on October 3, 2015,
during a search for the suspected Palestinian killers of a settler
couple. (AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh/File)
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- At
least 499 Palestinians have been injured in clashes with Israeli
soldiers and settlers across the occupied Palestinian Territory since
Saturday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Monday.Spokesperson Errab
Foqoha told Ma'an that at least 41 Palestinians had been shot with live
rounds, while 143 were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets.She said
that some 297 Palestinians had suffered excessive tear gas inhalation,
while another 18 were injured when they were physically
assaulted.Israeli forces have also killed two Palestinians, including a
13-year-old boy, in fierce clashes that have swept across the occupied
West Bank and East Jerusalem since Friday.
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Israel deployed its Iron
Dome missile defence system to bolster its security as the West weighed
military strikes on neighbouring Syria.
But he echoed President
Shimon Peres in insisting that Israel is not involved in Syria's civil
war but will respond with all its might if attacked.
"We have
decided to deploy Iron Dome and other interceptors," Netanyahu said, in a
statement released by his office, ahead of holding security talks at
the defence ministry.
"We are not involved in the war in Syria.
But I repeat: if anyone tries to harm Israeli citizens, Tsahal (the
Israeli army) will respond with force," Netanyahu said in other remarks
broadcast by Israeli television.
His comments come as Britain and
the United States laid out their case for punitive strikes on Syria over
an alleged chemical attack last week that rights groups say killed
hundreds.
Earlier Peres said Israel will hit back if its security is at stake.
View gallery."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on A …
"Israel
was not, and is not, involved in the Syrian fighting but if anyone
tries to harm us we will respond with all our might," Peres was quoted
as saying in a statement from his office.
"Israel has a strong army, modern and powerful, and a more advanced defence system than ever before," he added.
Army
chief of staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz said his forces were
"ready for all scenarios," but added: "I hope we will not have to send
them into action."
Peres said the situation in Syria, where a
civil war that erupted in March 2011 has killed more than 100,000
people, "is not a local incident but a crime against humanity."
Israeli media and officials sought to calm the public on Thursday, as queues for gas masks lengthened.
There
are fears that it the United States and its allies launch military
strikes on Syria, forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could
retaliate against Israel, Washington's key ally in the region.
View gallery."
Israelis queue to collect gas mask kits at a distribution center in the coastal city of Haifa on Aug …
"Keep
calm and carry on" was the title of a front-page analysis in the
Jerusalem Post, echoing a slogan designed by the British government in
World War II.
Netanyahu: ‘Low probability’ Israel will be drawn into Syria fighting
With
US-led strike expected early next week, IDF scales back leave for units
in north, hospitals told to be ready for any emergencies, but leaders
say Israelis have nothing to fear
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video released following a meeting
with defense officials Thursday. (photo credit: YouTube screen capture)
Israeli
authorities went out of their way on Thursday to calm fears of a
regional war, even as military sources said they anticipated US-led
intervention in Syria early next week..
“There is no need to change our routine at this time,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a YouTube video released Thursday
(Hebrew link) of him speaking at the start of a meeting with defense
officials at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. “Israel is prepared,” he
said.
Responding
to reports of heightened IDF mobilization, including the deployment of
additional missile-defense batteries to the north, Netanyahu suggested
the steps were taken as a precaution.
“Despite the low probability
that Israel will become involved in what is happening in Syria, we
decided to deploy the Iron Dome batteries and other interception
systems,” he said.
Netanyahu, who was meeting with security chiefs
in Tel Aviv late into Thursday, added: “We are not involved in the
civil war in Syria, but let me reiterate, if someone tries to harm
Israel’s citizens, the IDF will respond with immense power.”
IDF
Chief of the General Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz made similar comments
Thursday night, telling Israelis they could go about their daily lives
as usual, and that the army was “ready for any scenario.”
An Iron Dome battery outside Haifa (photo credit: Avishag Shaar Yashuv/Flash90)
Some
reports also surfaced Thursday that the IDF had frozen all leave for
units deployed in the north, though other sources said there had only
been a reduction in weekend leaves.
