JERUSALEM – Israeli and Palestinian security forces are already taking precautions to avoid an outbreak of violence after an expected U.N. vote for Palestinian independence in September, officials on both sides said Sunday. Their statements reflect shared concerns about the possibility of renewed fighting this fall.

For now, Israeli and Palestinian officials said they do not expect armed hostilities to resume. But both sides fear that one small incident could quickly spin out of control.

“We need only popular and peaceful struggle,” said Amin Makboul, a top official in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Party. “We want to show the world that we are responsible and deserve to be part of the international community.”

After the bitter lessons of last decade’s Palestinian uprising, the Palestinians do not want to give Israel any “pretext” to claim the Palestinians are not serious about creating a peaceful state, Makboul said.

A top Palestinian security official said Abbas recently issued a straightforward order to his commanders: “I don’t want any violent actions in September.”

Israeli and Palestinian officials both say the region is headed into uncharted territory if the Palestinians follow through on their pledge to turn to the United Nations.

Some 1,000 Israeli military officers held a two-day drill last week to prepare for September, discussing issues such as crowd-control tactics and the latest intelligence, officials say. The army will use the coming months to fine-tune its preparations in hopes of avoiding bloodshed, they said.

Abbas has said he will seek an international endorsement of Palestinian independence if peace talks with Israel remain stalled, as they have been for nearly three years. The United States has stepped up efforts to find a formula for renewing negotiations in recent weeks, but there have been no signs of a breakthrough.

 

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