Israel closes Palestinian lands for Jewish holiday

By Kaamil Ahmed

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel has closed the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

A military spokesperson said crossings between the West Bank and Gaza to Israel would be stopped on Sunday and Monday except for humanitarian purposes.

Israel routinely places restrictions on movement of Palestinians from the occupied Palestinian territories during Jewish holidays.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld also tweeted that extra security measures had been put in place in Jerusalem.

Sukkot is a week-long holiday, lasting from Sunday evening to the following Sunday.

Roadblocks were placed between West and occupied East Jerusalem during the Yom Kippur festival last week, causing clashes between Palestinian youth and Israeli soldiers in several neighborhoods.