Israel to close West Bank crossings before elections amid military operation
The Israeli military's operation comes in response to a gun attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others in the West Bank.
Key points
- Israel's military has sealed Hebron and will keep West Bank crossings closed until after Tuesday's elections.
- More than 2,200 Palestinians, including nearly 200 children, have been displaced in Hebron since Friday's attack.
- The operation follows a gun attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others in Hebron.
Israel's military pressed on with a large operation in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, imposing major movement restrictions before the country's upcoming elections. The operation responds to a gun attack in Hebron on Friday that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others.
In Hebron, more than 2,200 people, including nearly 200 children under 18, have been displaced over the last two days, according to the municipality. All entrances and exits to the city have stayed sealed since Friday, with the operation centered in Deir Bahha and an area called Al-Jalda, Hebron Mayor Yousef Zuhair Al-Jabari said.
Military restrictions and arrests
The Israeli military said it operated in more than 400 locations over the weekend and arrested 40 Palestinians it claimed were affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It also said most Palestinian workers with permits will not be allowed into Israeli settlements for work on Sunday and Monday, and crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Tuesday's elections.
The election is widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership and security policies during the past three years of war. Six Israelis have been killed this year in West Bank attacks, while 112 Palestinians have been killed in the same period, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry.
People cannot reach or enter the city, and they cannot leave it. The blockade has affected every aspect of life.
— Hebron Mayor Yousef Zuhair Al-Jabari
Reaction from Israeli leaders
Friday's attack drew outrage in Israel. Netanyahu and three members of his right-wing government gave statements from the attack site on Friday afternoon and vowed a forceful response.
Netanyahu, who is running for reelection and has President Trump's endorsement, is under pressure to show force against Palestinian attackers to bolster his image with security-minded Israelis. About 3 million Palestinians and 540,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war.
