Jerusalem (CNN) -- The U.N. humanitarian chief appealed Saturday for an end to forced displacement, one day before Palestinians are set to mark what they call the Nakba -- a day to commemorate the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians that accompanied the creation of Israel.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos arrived in Jerusalem for a four-day tour to the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, her office said. She is expected to meet with members of the Palestinian leadership and also hopes to meet with Israeli authorities.
"These policies lead to forced displacement of Palestinians from Jerusalem and from the rest of the West Bank," Amos said in a statement about rules that limit new construction and the land available for Palestinian use.
"Palestinians must be able to plan and develop their communities. They must be able to access education and health care facilities and to conduct their professional and personal lives without restriction," she said.
She spoke just one day before Palestinians are expected to commemorate the Nakba -- translated as "catastrophe" in Arabic -- which commemorates the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in warfare that led to the establishment of Israel in 1948. More than 700,000 people fled or were forced from their homes during the fighting.
Their fate and that of their descendants has proven to be a key stumbling block to any Mideast peace. For most Palestinians the eventual return to their former homes in what is now Israel remains a fundamental requirement, while Israelis argue that any large-scale return of refugees would spell the end of the Jewish majority state.
Large demonstrations are predicted in the West Bank, Jerusalem and in other parts of Israel on Sunday to mark the day. In advance of the commemoration, the Israeli military closed West Bank crossings, it said.
For the past two days, military checkpoints along the Sinai have been turning back hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists intending to demonstrate Sunday at the Egypt-Gaza border.
"Hopefully, this will be the last time the 15th of May will be remembered as the Nakba," said Tarek Shalaby, a 26-year-old social media consultant. "The next time it will be known as the successful uprising, the third intifada."
The word intifada is popularly used to describe a revolt or rebellion. Palestinians have staged two intifadas, which began in 1987 and 2000 respectively. Violence surrounding the second intifada claimed the lives of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians.
Shalaby was turned around by the army on the road between Cairo and Rafah.
"We will try again tomorrow to go to Rafah but if that fails we'll head right to the Israeli Embassy in Cairo to protest," Shalaby said.
On Friday, about 6,000 Palestinian refugees gathered near Jordan's border with Israel to demand to return to their ancestral homes. Organizers of that rally said the demonstration will continue through Sunday to coincide with the start of the so-called third intifada.
Palestinians have used social media to call for multiple demonstrations this year.
Last month, a controversial Facebook page calling for another Palestinian intifada was pulled off the social media website, following complaints from the Israeli government that it incited violence against Jews.
The Facebook page in question was set up in early March by a group of unidentified activists who called for a third intifada to start on May 15.
A statement from Facebook said the group page entitled the "Third Palestinian Intifada" -- which had garnered more than 350,000 "likes" over the course of a month -- was removed from the website because it contained direct calls for violence.CNN's Kevin Flower and Journalist Ian Lee contributed to this report.This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
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