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Israel imposes closure on Palestinians in West Bank amid Jewish holiday

Xinhua, March 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israeli authorities started implementing a closure overnight on Palestinians in the West Bank, amid the Jewish holiday of Purim and as a six-month-long wave of violence persists in the area, the Israeli army said on Wednesday.

The closure started overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 a.m. local time (GMT 2300) and will end at midnight local time on Saturday, barring Palestinians from the West Bank to enter Israeli territory, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Xinhua on Wednesday.

Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya'alon decided on the move after a situation assessment on Tuesday, the IDF spokesperson said.

Exceptions would be made in the humanitarian and medical cases, in accordance with the approval of the Israeli Coordinator of the Government's Activities in the Territories (COGAT).

Tens of thousands of Palestinians who hold work permits and can legally work in Israel will be damaged by the move, not being able to enter Israel and arrive at their work. The Israeli army did say Palestinians working in Jewish settlements in the West Bank would be able to enter them.

Whereas the Israeli military had imposed closures during the major Jewish holidays like Yom Kippur of Passover, it is unusual for a closure to be implemented during the holiday of Purim, which is mostly celebrated by kids whereas business remain open.

The decision had been largely influenced by the ongoing wave of violence, with the intention of "reducing the friction" between Palestinians and Israelis, a defense official told the Ha'aretz daily.

Israeli security officials, among them the IDF's Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, have recently sounded off saying that Israel should enable Palestinians to work in Israel and make a living in order to improve their well-being, therefore reduce the likelihood of committing attacks.

On a related matter, Israeli authorities announced Tuesday that Israel had arrested about 1,200 Palestinians without work permits who stayed in Israel illegally in the past two weeks, in a joint operation of the Israeli police and the paramilitary Border Police unit.

The Israeli police said it would continue to "track down" Palestinians staying in Israel illegally, "for the safety of the public" and that it would also operate harshly against those who assist them.

Last week the Israeli Knesset (parliament) authorized a bill enabling the police to shut down an establishment that employs an illegal Palestinian employee for up to 30 days. The bill also allows authorities to lock down these employers for up to four years in prison. Endit