Israel to close West Bank crossings on election day as crackdown escalates

The restrictions suspend Palestinian workers’ movement across the West Bank during Israel’s Tuesday election. The Israeli military announced both a worker entry-and-exit ban and the closure of every West Bank land crossing. This matters because work and travel depend heavily on permits and controlled crossings.

The order covers Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley, industrial zones, and settlements. Most workers will be barred from settlements from Sunday, although industrial zones and a limited number of other areas are exceptions. The restrictions are part of a wider security response after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint.

The immediate result is less access to jobs, businesses, and family travel. The article does not provide a precise number of workers affected by this particular closure. It does note that more than 100,000 Palestinian workers had been permitted to enter Israel before October 7, 2023, while only a small fraction have since had permits restored.

The West Bank is a landlocked territory east of Israel and west of Jordan. Palestinians live there, and the Palestinian Authority governs some areas under limited self-rule. Israel has controlled the territory militarily since the 1967 war. The territory’s status remains central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli settlements are Israeli residential communities established in the West Bank. Industrial zones are designated areas where factories, workshops, and other businesses operate. The article refers to both because Palestinian workers may enter some of these places under Israeli permits. Their access can be suspended by military orders.

The article reports that workers will be barred from settlements, including industrial zones, during the restrictions, with limited exceptions. This shows how security decisions affect both employment and movement. The closures also cover land crossings, making it harder for people and goods to travel through controlled entry points.

Before the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, Israel permitted more than 100,000 Palestinian workers to enter the country. Those permits connected many Palestinian workers to jobs inside Israel. The figure shows the scale of employment access before the restrictions that followed the attack.

Since October 7, only a small fraction of those workers have had their permits restored. The article does not give a precise figure for how many permits have returned. Therefore, the available comparison is between more than 100,000 previously permitted workers and an unspecified small fraction now restored.

The new election-day closure reduces access even further, at least temporarily. It bars Palestinian workers from entering and exiting the West Bank and restricts entry to settlements. The article presents these measures as part of a broader security crackdown after Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers.

When crossings close, Palestinian workers may lose access to jobs in Israel, settlements, and industrial zones. Businesses can lose employees, customers, and deliveries. Families may also struggle to travel between communities. These effects are especially severe where movement already depends on military checkpoints, permits, and road closures.

Hebron shows the consequences described in the article. The military cordoned off the city and heavily restricted movement for its 200,000 residents. Israeli forces demolished homes and businesses, and Defence Minister Israel Katz said about 2,000 residents had been displaced. Footage suggested at least one whole street had been flattened.

The restrictions are presented as part of a crackdown after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers. They may temporarily limit movement for security purposes, but they also deepen economic hardship and displacement. The article does not say when normal crossing or city movement will resume.

Home demolition is the destruction of a Palestinian suspect’s home after Israeli authorities link that person to an attack on Israelis. Israeli forces use the practice as a security measure. The stated logic is deterrence: making families and communities fear consequences may discourage future attacks.

The article says Israeli forces commonly demolish homes of Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks in the West Bank. It also reports demolitions of homes and businesses in Hebron during the current operation. Israeli rights groups criticise the practice as collective punishment because people who are not accused of an attack can lose their homes.

The consequences include displacement, financial loss, and disruption to family life. In Hebron, Israel’s defence minister said about 2,000 residents had been displaced, while footage appeared to show a whole street flattened. The article does not report a change in this policy or say whether the demolitions will stop.

The Israeli government sets national policy, including election-related closures and responses to attacks. The Israeli military enforces those decisions through checkpoints, permits, cordons, demolitions, and crossing controls. Israel’s defence minister and prime minister publicly direct or announce major security measures.

The Palestinian Authority governs parts of the West Bank under limited self-government created by the Oslo process. It does not control all territory, borders, or Israeli military actions. Local mayors, such as Hebron’s Youssef al-Jaabari, lead municipal communities and speak about local effects, but they cannot lift Israeli closures or direct Israeli forces.

These overlapping authorities explain why residents can face decisions made outside their city. Netanyahu announced the operation, the IDF imposed movement restrictions, and the Hebron mayor criticised the operation’s political motivation. The article says the PA governs parts of the territory, but it does not map every area or define each control arrangement in detail.

The West Bank came under Israeli occupation after Israel captured it from Jordan during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Israel then established military control over the territory. Palestinians continued to live there, while the territory’s future remained unresolved through decades of conflict and negotiations.

The 1990s Oslo Accords created the Palestinian Authority and divided the West Bank into areas with different levels of Palestinian civil and security responsibility. The Palestinian Authority gained limited self-government in parts of the territory. Israel retained overriding control over security, borders, settlements, and movement in many places, especially outside Palestinian-administered areas.

That arrangement helps explain the article’s present-day power structure. The PA governs parts of the West Bank, but the Israeli military can close land crossings, restrict workers, cordon off Hebron, and demolish buildings. The article does not discuss the accords or the 1967 war, so these historical details come from established background knowledge.