RAMALLAH, September 20, 2011 (WAFA) - Adnan Damiri, spokesman of Palestinian security, Tuesday said that security forces are fully ready to protect the Palestinian peaceful demonstrations that will take place on Wednesday and Friday this week to support the Palestinian leadership in its bid to the United Nations.

In a statement to WAFA, Damiri said security forces will not allow any form of activity which could lead to lawlessness or shooting, or vandalize public properties, since these demonstrations have a festive nature and support a peaceful stance: to request the recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN.

President Mahmoud Abbas had previously called on the Palestinians to peacefully demonstrate, and affirmed this again in a statement on Monday in New York: “We will only have peaceful demonstrations; we gave our instructions to all Palestinians that all popular movement must be peaceful.”

Damiri said that “demonstrations will only take place in areas that are under the Palestinian Authority’s control.”

He warned Palestinians from falling into the trap of the Israeli media’s exaggerations and its attempt to spread fear and horror among Palestinians “as if there is a world war coming,” aiming to portray the situation as if there is lawlessness in order to send a message to the world to rise against the recognition of a Palestinian state.

He affirmed the need to direct instructions to rural areas for Palestinians to stay alert and cautious and to protect themselves, adding that there are toll-free numbers distributed throughout all governorates so that Palestinians can call them in case of any emergency.

Damiri affirmed that Palestinian security forces will respond to any settlers’ attempts to storm the areas that are under the PA’s control, because this response is a legitimate right.

He denied Israeli media allegations about the existence of any joint security coordination to deal with the consequences of the PLO bid later this week, saying: “Israel is the one refusing the security coordination; it is us who need protection, not the armed Jewish settlers, since Palestinians are the ones being attacked by settlers in several areas in the West Bank.”

T.R./F.J.