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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an ) -- The main entrance of the Palestinian town of Beit Ummar was sealed by Israeli forces Friday following an attack on Israeli soldiers in the area, Israel’s army said.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that “additional security measures have been taken” following the attack “in accordance with security assessments” in the area.

The spokesperson had no information regarding when the entrance would be re-opened to the town, home to over 15,000 Palestinians.
Omar Arafat Issa al-Zaaqiq, a 19-year-old from Beit Ummar, carried out a “car ramming” attack earlier on Friday that left six Israeli soldiers wounded in the occupied West Bank town.

Hours later, Israel’s security cabinet gave the military the liberty to seal Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank without first receiving approval from the government, Israeli media reported.
A senior Israeli official told Israeli daily Haaretz that military commanders are now authorized to independently implement the total closures while “searching for suspected terrorists.”

The military was already carrying out the decision without such approval prior to the cabinet's Friday meeting, the report added.
Despite the cabinet’s approval that apparently legally expedites the ability for the Israeli military to enforce closures on Palestinian towns, residents already faced mounting presence of the forces this month and last.

Residents of Beit Ummar are some of tens of thousands of Palestinians in the Hebron district who have come under increased attempts by Israeli security to “deter” attacks carried out by Palestinian individuals on Israeli military and civilians.

Measures implemented in Hebron -- including road closures, arbitrary detention, home demolition, invasive security checks, and house-to-house search raids -- were described by Israeli rights group B’Tselem as collective punishment.

Over 1,000 work permits for Hebron Palestinians working in Israel were reportedly frozen this week by Israeli authorities, expected to come as a severe blow to the livelihoods of workers' families.

Violence that appeared to escalate at the beginning of last month has continued full-fledged through November, with 13 Palestinians and two Israelis killed in the last week alone.

Around a third of Palestinians killed this week were shot by Israeli forces during clashes and overnight search raids.