Lebanon army bans demonstrations near Israel border

Lebanon has banned all demonstrations near the Israeli border as the Palestinians gear up to mark 44 years since the seizure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the Six Day War, a security official told AFP on Friday. "The army has taken the decision to ban any demonstration south of the Litani (river) and particularly at the border," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The army will not allow anyone to approach the border." Palestinians in Lebanon and other Arab states neighbouring Israel had said they planned to march on the Jewish state's borders on Sunday to mark the anniversary, known in Arabic as the "Naqsa" or "setback." Organisers of the protest said in a statement that the march had been cancelled because of the ban, and instead called on Palestinians in Lebanon to stage sit-ins and gatherings on Sunday inside the refugee camps. In a demonstration on May 15, thousands of protesters in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza tried to force their way across the borders in a mass show of mourning over the 1948 creation of the Jewish state. Israeli troops opened fire, killing four along the Syrian lines, and another 10 along the border with Lebanon. In northern Gaza, more than 120 people were injured during a similar protest. Ahead of Sunday's anniversary, the Israeli army deployed extra troops along the Lebanese border as well as along the ceasefire lines in the occupied Golan Heights. On Thursday, an AFP correspondent in south Lebanon saw Israeli troops putting up new barbed wire along the border, although the Israeli military refused to comment on the reports. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the army to act firmly but to avoid any bloodshed during any border protests. "My instructions are clear: to act with restraint but with the determination necessary to protect our borders... and our citizens," he said.