Israel dispatched extra police forces to East Jerusalem Friday, for fears of rioting breaking out as Palestinians prepare to commemorate the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1967 Six Day War, an event they call the "naksa" (setback.)
Police Spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the reinforced police presence was not based on any concrete advance warnings of riots after Friday prayers, but was based on a general assessment of potential trouble, DPA reported.
Authorities have also decided to slap restrictions on entry to the Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount Compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, the focal point of the Friday prayers, and have limited entry to males over the age of 45-years and women.
Pages on social media internet sites have called on Palestinians to stage mass rallies on Israel's borders this weekend, to mark 44 years since the outbreak of the 1967 Six Day War.
On May 15, Palestinian protestors marked the 63rd anniversary of Israel's founding by storming the Israeli-Lebanese border, and the frontier along the occupied Golan Heights separating Israel and Syria.
Thirteen people were killed in the demonstrations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Thursday evening that Israel will act with "determination" to safeguard its borders during demonstrations planned for this weekend.
"Like any country in the world, Israel has the right and obligation to guard and defend its borders. Therefore my instructions are clear, to act with restraint, but with the required determination, to protect our borders, our communities and our citizens," he told a high-tech conference in Jerusalem
The Six-Day War war broke out on June 5, 1967, and by the time a ceasefire came into effect on June 10, Israel had captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai peninsula from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria.