West Bank sealed off: raids in at least 15 towns, Ben-Gvir wants full control
After Netanyahu ordered a total closure, Israeli troops are raiding numerous towns in the West Bank. Nearly 1,000 checkpoints and gates are to be closed.
Symbolic image · Photo: L-BBE / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
After the deadly attack on Israeli soldiers near Hebron, Israel's military launched raids across the occupied West Bank. At least 15 towns in the north of the territory were affected on Saturday, including Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya, according to Al Jazeera; dozens of Palestinians were detained. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a total closure of the territory on Friday. Nearly 1,000 checkpoints and gates were to be closed, affecting millions of Palestinians.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for Israel to take full control of the West Bank. Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti said the closures turn every town and village into “a small prison” and warned that collective punishment would lead to “explosions.” Hamas said the measures would only further fuel anger.
Near Hebron, several farm workers were injured in a suspected settler attack on a farm, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. A spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office described it as another episode in an endless series of “suffocating measures.”