On a Saturday when Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to demand a reckoning for the failures of October 2023, the army moved to shut the West Bank's land crossings and bar most Palestinian workers from the settlements, a response to a deadly checkpoint attack that has landed hardest on the residents of Hebron. It is a familiar human pattern: a violent act, a collective answer, and families left to absorb the weight of a conflict they did not start. The timing, days before a national vote, has led critics to read security as a political instrument, though the full intentions of those who ordered it
Israel to Close West Bank Crossings on Election Day Amid Hebron Crackdown
Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three injured in the checkpoint attack; about 2,000 Hebron residents have been displaced by home and business demolitions.
On a Saturday when Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to demand a reckoning for the failures of October 2023, the army moved to shut the West Bank's land crossings and bar most Palestinian workers from the settlements, a response to a deadly checkpoint attack that has landed hardest on the residents of Hebron. It is a familiar human pattern: a violent act, a collective answer, and families left to absorb the weight of a conflict they did not start. The timing, days before a national vote, has led critics to read security as a political instrument, though the full intentions of those who ordered it remain to be seen.
Israel's military has announced that every land crossing in the West Bank will close on Tuesday, election day, and that most Palestinian workers will be barred from settlements from Sunday. The move follows a Friday attack in which two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others before being killed themselves. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answered with a major operation, and its center is Hebron.
In Hebron, homes and businesses have been demolished, and Defence Minister Israel Katz puts the number of displaced residents at about 2,000. Footage appears to show at least one street flattened, and the military has cordoned off the city, where 200,000 people now face sharply limited movement. Rights groups have criticised such demolitions as collective punishment.
The restrictions also reach back to a larger wound. Before 7 October 2023, more than 100,000 Palestinian workers entered Israel each day; only a small fraction have had permits restored since. Hebron's mayor, Youssef al-Jaabari, argues the operation is driven by the election, aimed at winning favour with the far right and settlers. Netanyahu, in an interview released Saturday, warned of a "very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority.
On Saturday, thousands rallied in Tel Aviv, organised by the October Council, a group of victims' and hostages' families demanding accountability and a state commission of inquiry. Opposition leaders attended, including Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief of staff, who is neck and neck with Netanyahu. What comes next depends on the Palestinian Authority's response, whether that surprise materialises, and how long the closures and the Hebron cordon endure after the vote.
Israel's military has announced that every land crossing in the West Bank will be shut on Tuesday, the day Israelis vote, and that Palestinian workers will be barred from entering all settlements. The Israel Defense Forces described a ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers across the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, industrial zones included, together with the closure of all land crossings.
The restrictions begin earlier than election day. From Sunday, most Palestinian workers are to be kept out of settlements, with exceptions for industrial zones and a limited number of other areas. The scale of the change is clearer against the past: before the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, more than 100,000 Palestinian workers were permitted to enter Israel. Since then, only a small fraction have had their permits restored.
The measures come during a crackdown in the occupied West Bank. On Friday, two Palestinian gunmen attacked an Israeli checkpoint, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others. The gunmen were also killed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by announcing a major operation.
The centre of that operation is Hebron. Israeli forces have been demolishing homes and businesses in the city, and hundreds of families have been displaced. Defence Minister Israel Katz put the number of displaced residents at about 2,000. Footage shared online appears to show at least one entire street flattened. Even before Sunday's announcement on workers, the military had cordoned off Hebron, sharply limiting the movement of its 200,000 residents.
Demolishing the homes of Palestinians suspected of attacks on Israelis is a familiar practice in the West Bank. Israeli rights groups have criticised it as collective punishment.
The timing is part of the story. The shooting came just days before the election, and Hebron's mayor, Youssef al-Jaabari, said the operation was being driven by the vote. In his account, Netanyahu and his ministers are trying to secure the support of the far right and of settlers. In an interview with Israel's i24 television channel released on Saturday, Netanyahu also threatened a "very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the territory.
Elsewhere, on Saturday, thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv for a large anti-government demonstration. It was organised by the October Council, a group founded by families of victims and of hostages taken in the 7 October 2023 attack, who are demanding accountability for the failure to prevent it. Ahead of the rally the group wrote on X that, three days before the election, it would hold a culminating event marking three years of struggle to uncover the truth, demand accountability and establish a state commission of inquiry.
The leaders of the four main opposition parties took part, among them Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief of staff, who is described as neck and neck with Netanyahu.
What to watch now is how the Palestinian Authority responds, whether the "very big surprise" Netanyahu mentioned takes any concrete form, and how long the closures and the Hebron cordon last once Tuesday's vote is over.
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em BBC News ↗
War & Conflict