Description

Photo:
File. Published by Maan News

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces closed the road connecting the towns of Silwad and Ein Yabrud in the occupied West Bank district of Ramallah with a large cement block early Wednesday, imposing a complete closure on the two Palestinian towns.

According to locals, residents were forced to use dirt roads or roads far out in the outskirts of the town in order to avoid the cement block, while others were forced to exit and enter on foot.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an she would look into reports on the closure.

The West Bank has seen an increase in military road closures since October 2015 when a wave of unrest first erupted across the occupied Palestinian territory 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 earlier this year.

Israel’s response to attacks -- such as punitive home demolitions, the sealing of entire villages, 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 represent a clear violation of international law.