Israel increases restrictions on occupied Palestinians in preparation for summit

Tuesday November 20, 2007 20:35 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

Curfews have been imposed on all towns and villages in the northern West Bank.  Access to Jerusalem for worshippers hoping to pray at the al-Aqsa mosque has been cut off.  Soldiers operating the over 700 checkpoints and roadblocks in the West Bank have been instructed to severely restrict the movement of Palestinian people.

Palestinian man at Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank

These and many other measures have been put in place Tuesday by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, in preparation for a ‘peace summit’ between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Monday.

According to an Israeli military spokesperson, "Defence Minister (Ehud Barak) has ordered the army to up its security measures and vigilance to face a possible wave of terrorist attacks"

The moves come after Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in two separate attacks in Gaza late Monday night; and Palestinian resistance fighters shot dead one Israeli settler in the northern West Bank.

Israeli forces often step up their restrictions on the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza during political developments between the leadership of the two peoples.  Palestinians fear the new restrictions are only a precursor of what’s to come, as Israeli leaders dictate the terms of a summit that will be held in Annapolis, MD, in the US next week.

palestine | peace process | news report saed at imemc dot org