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SALFIT (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces reportedly reopened the entrance of the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris in the occupied West Bank district of Salfit on Wednesday after a month-and-a-half closure, locals said.

Local sources told Ma’an that the road Israeli authorities, which had closed off the entrance in August over claims that Kifl Haris residents were throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at passing settlers’ cars, had judged the situation to be sufficiently calm to warrant the reopening.

The locals added that the entrance was considered one of the most important passages for Kifl Haris residents to reach their lands and neighboring towns, and that the reopening was particularly crucial ahead of the olive harvest season.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that they would look into reports of the reopening.

The occupied West Bank has seen an increase in military road closures since October 2015, when a wave of unrest first erupted across the West Bank and Israel, leading to periodic closures of Palestinian villages, towns, checkpoints, and entire districts, with the southern district of Hebron put under the most extensive closure since 2014 last month.
The road closures have been slammed by rights groups as constituting collective punishment.