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Thought Nakba Day was bad? Get ready for June

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Israel faces two major challenges on its land and sea borders next month.

The first will be an attempt by Palestinian groups to repeat the storming of Israel's border with Syria and Lebanon. And later in the month, a large flotilla is set to try to get through to Gaza.

Following the incidents on May 15 - Nakba Day - on the Syrian and Lebanese borders, during which 14 Palestinians were killed and close to 200 managed to get through into the town of Majdel Shams on the Golan Heights, there are plans to try again on June 5, the 44th anniversary of the Six-Day War in which Israel captured the Golan and the West Bank.

This time, officers in the Northern Command have said that a much larger force will be massed on the border and the soldiers will be also equipped with riot-dispersal gear, not only live ammunition, in an attempt to block any incursion and prevent fatal
casualties.

But the bigger headache right now is the planned attempt to re-enact the Gaza flotilla of May 2010.

The Turkish Islamist group IHH is once again spearheading the flotilla, but this time 20 boats from countries around the Mediterranean basin are expected to take part.

Israel has tried to exert diplomatic pressure on the Turkish government through the US and the EU to prevent the flotilla from sailing, but so far they have refused to intervene.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Israel that another attempt at stopping the flotilla would not go without "an appropriate response" from Turkey.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government has offered any relief ship the chance to dock in Ashdod and have the supplies transferred over land to Gaza.

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