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| Middle East |
| Travel restrictions on West Bank Paleos... |
| 2002-08-05 |
| Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer announced a "total closure" in the northern West Bank and vowed further travel restrictions. Troops are planning operations to "maintain a much bigger closure than what we are doing now," he said. Under the new ban, Palestinians will not be able to drive in the northern West Bank, between the towns of Nablus, Jenin, Qalqiliya, Tulkarem and Ramallah, the army said. Some movement will be permitted in the southern West Bank, including the towns of Hebron, Bethlehem and Jericho. Stringent restrictions on Palestinian travel have been in place since the outbreak of fighting in September 2000, with Palestinians confined to their communities for extended periods as Israeli troops try to prevent terror attacks. Palestinians trying to get to jobs and schools often use dirt roads to evade military checkpoints. The military said blockades would be strictly enforced, with exceptions made for humanitarian cases. Not being acquainted with cause and effect, the Paleos will decry the unfairness of it all — and probably kill somebody in revenge. Then they'll get all indignant about the next set of restrictions... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |