Palestinian, Israeli women rally at Kalandiya near J'lem

Demonstration ahead of Palestinian statehood bid is mostly calm until stones and firebombs thrown at its conclusion, IDF says.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Kalandiya demonstration (photo credit: IDF Spokesman)
Kalandiya demonstration
(photo credit: IDF Spokesman)
Palestinians rallied for an independent Palestinian state on Saturday at the Kalandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem in a demonstration organized by Israeli and Palestinian women's organizations and the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement.
The IDF Spokesman's Office tweeted that firebombs, bottles and rocks were thrown at journalists at the rally's conclusion, after a relatively quiet demonstration.
Spokesman Captain Barak Raz criticized the previous day's violent protest at Nabi Saleh, saying that "Soldiers [are] professionally standing guard, allowing for protest, while ready in [the] event of violence."
An earlier tweet of the Kalandiya demonstration read, "no violence thus far...these are types of protests we can live with."Raz also mentioned a pre-demonstration briefing in which commanders were told that "professionalism is central here," and were instructed to allow the protest to take place but to also work to prevent violent instigators from taking advantage of the situation.
The briefing echoed Israel Police Chief Insp.-Gen. Yochanan Danino's statement on Monday that events surrounding the September 20 Palestinian statehood recognition bid at the UN could be "explosive," and that the police had to be prepared for mass protests that might break out as a result.