The defense establishment increased its level of alert on Thursday evening after receiving more than 60 warnings of planned attacks. The unusually high level of threats appears to be connected to the assassination of senior Hamas terrorist Nizar Rayyan in Gaza earlier in the day.
Rayyan and several members of his immediate family were killed in an IAF strike on Thursday afternoon after refusing to leave their house despite warnings. A short time later IAF planes hit the Gaza home of a second senior terrorist, Nabil Abu el-Amrin.
Police have taken a number of steps due to the high alert level, among them canceling all weekend soccer matches in which Jewish teams were to have faced off against Arab teams. Tempers often flare at soccer matches, and Jewish-Arab matches in particular have led to scuffles between fans.
Police will be on their highest level of alert along the outer edge of areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, at city entrances and in city centers.
The police presence will be particularly high in mixed Jewish-Arab cities and in Jerusalem, where thousands of officers will be stationed in the eastern part of the city to prevent riots following the Friday morning Muslim prayers. Only women and Muslim men over the age of 50 will be allowed to attend prayers on the Temple Mount.
Commanders are talking with Arab community leaders in an attempt to reduce tensions, which have been high this week due to the “Cast Lead” operation in Gaza. The operation has killed hundreds of terrorists and dozens of civilians, and has led to charges among Israeli Arabs that Israel is perpetrating a massacre.
Riots, stonings, firebombings and arson attacks instigated by Israeli Arabs have been reported throughout the week, and hundreds of rioters have been arrested. Attacks reported Thursday included a rock attack on a Jewish motorist along the coastal highway that caused damage but no injuries, and an attempt to burn tires on a mosque in Tiberias.