Israeli to impose closure on Palestinian territories during Jewish holidays

The Israeli military said that it will impose a series of total closures on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the Jewish New Year celebrations from Monday evening to Wednesday evening.
"During the closures, the crossings for goods will be shut down and passing (of people) would be possible only in exceptional humanitarian and medical cases," a military spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday.

The first closure will be imposed during the three days of the Jewish new year festival.

It will begin on Monday afternoon and is expected to be lifted overnight between Wednesday and Thursday.

On Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a two-day closure will be imposed, starting on September 15, the army said.

The crossings will be shut down again on Sukkot, a seven-day Jewish festival, from September 20 to 22, followed by another closure between September 27 and 29.

The military said that the reopening of the crossings is subjected to "security assessment".


Israel considers the main Jewish holidays as prone to attacks by Palestinian militants and regularly closes off the occupied territories during these times - IANS