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NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces on Sunday morning closed the main entrance to the village of Beita in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus and several other side streets in the area, while the Palestinian military liaison said they arranged to reopen other roads closed by the Israeli army elsewhere in the West Bank.

Locals told Ma’an that bulldozers under Israeli military protection closed the main entrance to Beita with huge concrete blocks and earth mounds, highlighting that the road leads to a farmers’ market that serves the village.

They added that bulldozers also closed a number of side streets connecting Beita to the village of Huwwara just a few kilometers to the west.

Later on Sunday, Israeli forces also closed with cement blocks the road that connects Huwwara to the neighboring village of Einabus to its immediate south.

Witnesses said the Israeli soldiers told them the roads would remain closed “until further notice.”

Locals said that Israeli soldiers told them the closures were made as a result of alleged stone throwing incidents targeting Israeli settler vehicles travelling on the main road near Beita crossroads.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian military liaison on Sunday said they reopened a road in Sair in the northeastern side of the Hebron district, that was previously closed by Israeli forces by an iron gate some three months ago.

Sair was also completely sealed in July in the wake of a drive-by shooting after Israeli forces said the suspect was a resident of the village.
The village was meanwhile raided overnight Saturday, with Israeli soldiers reportedly threatening a family to detain their 10-month-old baby, as village residents were also notified the they would be subject to heightened punitive measures “In the wake of destructive attacks coming from your area against civilians.”

The Palestinian military liaison in the southern district of Bethlehem stated that they were also able to reopen a road in Shushihla district in the village of al-Khader near illegal Israeli settlement Neve Daniel, after a complaint submitted by Palestinian resident Muhannad Saed Salah that Israeli forces closed the road leading to his house.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an they were looking into reports of the road closures and openings.

The occupied West Bank has seen an increase in arbitrary military road closures since October when a wave of unrest first erupted across the West Bank and Israel, leading to periodic blockade of Palestinian villages, towns, checkpoints, and entire districts.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman recently unveiled a "carrot stick" policy toward Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, whereby harsher punishment would be imposed upon families and villages from which "terrorists" originate, while economic benefits would be granted to areas that "have not produced terrorists."

“We will implement a differential policy in Judea and Samaria,” Lieberman said last month, using an Israeli term for the West Bank. “Its purpose is to continue to give benefits to those who desire co-existence with us and make life difficult for those who seek to harm Jews.”

"Anyone who is prepared for co-existence will prosper, while those who opt for terrorism will lose.”

Israel’s response to attacks -- such as restrictions on movement for civilians, punitive home demolitions, mass detention campaigns, and withholding the bodies of Palestinians slain while committing attacks -- has been condemned by rights groups, who have said the measures amount to “collective punishment” and “court-sanctioned revenge,” and represent a clear violation of international law.