Israel steps up military training

Israel’s military has been training Jewish settler security units to cope with any eruption of Palestinian protests alongside a planned bid for statehood at the United Nations in September.

Israel has long permitted settlers to carry weapons in the occupied West Bank, but has now stepped up drills among dozens of civil defence teams ahead of a UN General Assembly vote expected in the middle of the month, the military said.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas plans to seek the world body’s endorsement of statehood when the General Assembly convenes next month, a bid seen as likely to upgrade the Palestinians’ diplomatic status.

Israel rejects the move as side-stepping peace talks that have been frozen for a year in a dispute over settlement building.

Israeli officials have voiced fears the UN bid could revive violence after months of calm, citing threats by some Palestinian activists to hold mass marches or demonstrations to coincide with the vote.

In a written statement, the Israeli army – which is also drilling its troops in how to deal with possible violence next month – said it was “devoting great efforts to training local forces and preparing them to deal with any possible scenario”.

The statement said the military recently “completed training the majority of the first response teams” and the exercises were ongoing.