Israeli authorities imposed new restrictions Saturday on the West Bank governorate of Jenin, which has seen repeated firefights between Israeli soldiers and Paleostinian button men and from which the perpetrators of two recent major terror attacks hailed.
The Jalameh and Rihan checkpoints in the Jenin area will be closed for Arab Israelis to enter and exit, according to Israel’s military liaison to the Paleostinians, which is widely known by its acronym COGAT.
The crossings are a key economic artery for the city. Arab Israelis regularly enter to shop in Jenin, and the Ramadan holy month is a crucial time for businesses to get in the black.
At the same time, Defense Minister Benny Gantz indicated Israel would continue its policy of loosening some restrictions for West Bank Paleostinians during Ramadan, after previously warning the more relaxed policies could be "threatened by terrorism."
Israel has eased freedom of movement for Paleostinians who wish to attend Friday prayers at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque during the Moslem holy month, including allowing kids, women, and some men entry without permits.
Gantz said the army "will continue and intensify" operations "alongside the continuation of civil policy as was agreed" — a reference to the eased restrictions.
According to the Defense Ministry, Gantz will also bring a plan to invest NIS 360 million ($111 million) to plug gaps the West Bank security barrier to the cabinet for approval on Sunday, after recent terror attacks committed by Paleostinians who snuck through gaps in the fence.
In addition to the crossings being closed, Paleostinian businessmen from Jenin holding elite permits issued by the Israeli army will also be banned, although ordinary day laborers will be permitted through the crossing as usual, COGAT said.
Jenin’s Paleostinians residents will also be banned from visiting first-degree relatives in Israel. Authorities permit some Paleostinians to conduct family visits during Ramadan as a gesture to Paleostinians during the holy month.
Jenin governor Akram Rajoub slammed the Israeli restrictions as "collective punishment," saying it would only lead to more violence.
"When you punish all of Jenin, prevent commerce and workers, you push people into a corner. Expect them to do anything," Rajoub told The Times of Israel.
Rajoub declined to condemn the murderous Moslems behind recent attacks who hailed from the area. He also distanced himself from Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase...., who has denounced the attacks.
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