Israel closes West Bank for 3 days

Associated Press

JERUSALEM

The Israeli military said Friday the West Bank will be closed off until the end of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot on Sunday, due to security concerns after a Palestinian shooting attack this week in Tel Aviv that killed four Israeli civilians.

The army said that crossings will be open for “humanitarian and medical” cases only and for Palestinians to worship at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians attended prayers at the mosque Friday, the first of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Police were on high alert in Jerusalem, and prayers passed peacefully.

Much of the past months of violence stems from tensions at the hilltop compound. Muslims refer to it as the Noble Sanctuary, and it is their third-holiest site, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. It is the holiest site for Jews, who call it the Temple Mount because of the revered Jewish temples that stood there in biblical times.

West Bank closures often are imposed ahead of holidays in Israel when there are fears of Palestinian attacks. Tensions are especially high now after Palestinian gunmen killed four people and wounded five others in a popular and crowded area of Tel Aviv on Wednesday night.