Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered preparations for a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank and the complete closure of the city of Hebron. Earlier today, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians who had reportedly shot five Israeli soldiers near an illegal settlement. Two of the Israeli soldiers died. After the attack, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for Israel to restrict the movement of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank.
Itamar Ben-Gvir: “Their movements on the road should be stopped. We must stop allowing them from driving on the roads of Judea and Samaria. The lives of our residents of Judea and Samaria, of our citizens, our soldiers, our police officers and our fighters, are a million times more important than the freedom of movement.”
This comes amid escalating attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the run-up to Tuesday’s elections in Israel. Israeli troops conducted raids across the West Bank today, detaining dozens of Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities detained 11 foreign activists Thursday after participating in a Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank. On Wednesday, Israeli forces briefly detained 80 rabbis, volunteers and activists accompanying Palestinian farmers. Those detained included New York congressional candidate Brad Lander.