Israel has announced that it will close all land crossings with the occupied West Bank on Tuesday to coincide with its upcoming general election, following a military-enforced lockdown in Hebron that has forced thousands of Palestinian residents from their homes.
According to an Israeli army statement released early Sunday, Palestinian workers will be barred from entering most West Bank areas from Sunday through Monday. A total closure of border crossings into and out of the West Bank will then be enforced on Tuesday, the day of the Israeli vote.
The heightened restrictions follow a Friday attack by two Palestinian gunmen on an Israeli army reserve base, which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers. Both attackers were also killed. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mandated a complete lockdown across the occupied West Bank, and military forces have carried out hundreds of raids since the incident.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that approximately 2,000 residents have been displaced from Hebron. Speaking in an interview with public broadcaster Kan, Katz stated:
“They will not be allowed to return to their neighbourhood until we’ve finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron.”
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