Israel locks down West Bank, Gaza for Passover holiday

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army has locked down the Palestinian territories for nine days in advance of the upcoming weeklong Jewish Passover holiday.

“In line with our assessments of the security situation, and with the approval of the political leadership, a comprehensive closure will be imposed on the [occupied] West Bank and all crossings with the [blockaded] Gaza Strip from Thursday night until Saturday night, Apr. 7,” reads an army statement.

The move will deny Palestinians access to their places of work in Israel, while movement through Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank will be restricted to “humanitarian” cases.

On Friday, Jews will mark the beginning of Passover, which commemorates the Israelites' exodus out of Egypt under Prophet Moses. It is considered one of the most important holidays of the Jewish religious calendar.