The Israeli army imposed a full closure on Thursday at midnight of the occupied West Bank ahead of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which starts on Saturday night, an Israeli online daily reported.According to the report, the closure will remain in effect until midnight on Monday. All Palestinians, except urgent medical cases, will be barred from entering Israel. According to Israeli sources, the closure will not affect commercial crossings.
Israel intends to deploy hundreds of additional troops within Israel and on the areas close to the Palestinian territories.
An official statement issued by the higher military command of the Israeli army stated that the army ‘will be on high alert’ during the Jewish holiday.
The statement claimed that ‘during this sensitive time’ the army will ‘enhance its alertness to ensure the security of the Israelis, while preserving the daily life of the Palestinians’.
Yet, on the ground the army increased its roadblocks in the occupied West Bank and tightened its security measures barring thousands of residents from travelling freely within the Palestinian territories.
Throughout the rest of the year, Palestinians are not guaranteed freedom to enter and leave the occupied Palestinian territories as they please. Civilians are regularly turned away from checkpoints by the Israeli military without justification. This religious festival merely brings an admittance of these ‘apartheid’-style practices.
