Israel will close all land crossings from the West Bank during Tuesday’s election and bar Palestinian workers from entering and leaving Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley and industrial zones, according to the IDF announcement reported by the BBC. The military’s order covers the crossing closure separately from the worker movement restrictions.
Most Palestinian workers will also be prohibited from entering settlements from Sunday, although the BBC reported exceptions for industrial zones and a limited number of other areas. Before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack, more than 100,000 Palestinian workers were permitted to enter Israel; only a small fraction have had their permits restored since then, the BBC reported.
The restrictions follow the killing of two Israeli soldiers by Palestinian gunmen near Hebron on Friday. Three other Israeli soldiers were injured, and the gunmen were killed, according to the BBC. Israel has also cordoned off Hebron, whose roughly 200,000 residents have faced heavy movement restrictions, while the military has demolished homes and businesses in the city.
Al Jazeera’s Inside Story report described the measures as part of a sweeping lockdown across the occupied West Bank after the Hebron shooting. It reported Palestinian accusations of collective punishment and said far-right Israeli politicians were using the attack to push for annexation and tougher policies toward Palestinians. Those political claims and the possible effect on the election remain disputed; the immediate scope established by the military announcement is the Tuesday crossing closure and the separate worker-entry and exit restrictions.