Israel army plants new mines along Syria border

By AGENCIES
Aug 13, 2011

JERUSALEM: Israel's Army is planting new land mines along its border with Syria in an attempt to prevent protesters from rushing into the Golan Heights, a military magazine reported Friday.

The preparations come as part of Israel's beefed-up measures ahead of rallies that Palestinians are planning to hold in September, the magazine Mahaneh reported.

Israel came under heavy international criticism when its troops opened fire on Syrians and Palestinians who broke through the fenced border into the Golan Heights during a June 5 demonstration. Around 20 protesters were killed. Israel is worried that the planned September demonstrations in the West Bank could also see a new attempt to breach the Golan frontier.

The army decided to go ahead with the move after older mines failed to detonate when the Syrians crossed in June, the magazine reported. The mountainous plateau is heavily sown with minefields, which are marked. Military officials have said they are also preparing non-lethal methods for controlling any Golan protests.

"The activities are intended to thicken landed mines and strengthen obstacles," said Maj. Ariel Iluz, according to the magazine.

"Combined with our military forces and snipers, these are supposed to delay or even prevent a lot of people from crossing the border," Iluz said.

The June demonstrators were protesting Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights, a territory it seized in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed. The international community does not recognize its annexation.

The magazine did not say how many mines the army's engineering corps have planted so far, only saying the operation had been continuing for several weeks. An army spokesman was not available for comment.

The magazine reported that the military was taking other measures, including reinforcing fences along the Golan border, increasing infantry troop numbers, posting more snipers and digging trenches.

In a separate development, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki said Saturday that the Palestinians will present their bid for membership of the United Nations on Sept. 20.

"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will personally present the request to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ... at the opening of the sixty-sixth session," on Sept. 20, Malki said.

Abbas "will insist on this historic initiative and Ban Ki-moon will present the request to the Security Council," he said.

Malki added that the Palestinian Authority chose September because Lebanon, which will hold the presidency of the Security Council, would be in a strong position to push the bid forward.

"Lebanon will hold the presidency of the Security Council in September and this will help us because the president of the council has special prerogatives, which is crucial," he said.

Following the collapse of direct peace talks with Israel in September last year, the Palestinians have adopted a diplomatic strategy of looking to secure UN recognition for a state along the frontiers which existed before the 1967 Six-Day War.

Israel is adamantly opposed to such a move.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article487858.ece.