Israel to Close West Bank Crossings for Election Day as Hebron Lockdown Continues
Israel said it will close all land crossings with the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the day of its general election. The closure is part of a wider security operation that followed an attack two days earlier, and it is set to affect movement across the territory for at least several days.
The attack took place on Oct. 23, when two Palestinian gunmen assaulted an Israeli army reserve base. Two Israeli soldiers were killed, and the two attackers were also killed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then ordered a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank, and Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of raids since the attack.
In a statement early on Sunday, Oct. 25, the Israeli army said it would bar Palestinian workers from entering most areas of the West Bank from Sunday through Monday. It said a full closure of crossings into and out of the territory will be enforced on Tuesday. Al Jazeera reported the closures alongside the Hebron operation.
The most severe effects have been in Hebron, the West Bank's most populous area. About 200,000 Palestinians live in the city itself, and a further 600,000 live in Hebron governorate, the surrounding district. The Israeli army imposed a lockdown on the city on Oct. 24, and the military said the operation there will last several days.
Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Ja'bari said the city and several neighbouring villages were under a complete blockade. He said that 2,200 people had been forced from their homes by Israeli troops and raids. Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that about 2,000 people had been displaced from Hebron.
Katz told the public broadcaster Kan that displaced residents would not be allowed to return until issues related to Hamas in Hebron were dealt with. Netanyahu said he was planning an operation on a scale not seen since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.
Separately, the Israeli military said it will bar Palestinians from entering Israeli settlements in the West Bank until after Election Day, according to The Times of Israel.
Israeli voters go to the polls on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The West Bank restrictions are scheduled to remain in place through that day.
