Israel

Following Shooting Attack, IDF Partially Closes Ramallah

Monday, February 1, 2016 5:29 am | < 1 Minute Read

Israeli soldiers inspect a Palestinian man at an Israeli checkpoint leading to the West Bank city of Ramallah February 1, 2016. Following Sunday's shooting attack by a Palestinian, Israeli forces have taken security measures allowing only residents of Ramallah to enter the city, with a temporary closure for exit except for humanitarian cases, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman — IDF soldiers inspect a Palestinian man at a checkpoint leading to the city of Ramallah, Monday. (Reuters/Mohamad Torokman)

The IDF announced Monday that it has partially closed off Ramallah, following a shooting attack near there Sunday morning. The military said that only humanitarian cases will be allowed to leave Ramallah and only residents can enter.

The Palestinian Authority is headquartered in Ramallah, which is around 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Yerushalayim.

The military appeared to be opening checkpoints intermittently and cars could be seen leaving the city.

An IDF spokeswoman said that a decision on when to lift the measure would depend on security assessments.

“Internal closures” were common during the Palestinian uprising that ended a decade ago, but have been rarely used in recent years. The measure came after a terrorist opened fire on soldiers at the Focus checkpoint outside Beit El. The terrorist was named as Amjad al-Sukari from the village of Jama’in. He was the personal bodyguard of the Palestinian Authority’s top district attorney, Israel Radio reported.

Three IDF soldiers were injured in the terror shooting attack.

The Focus checkpoint is used by PA “VIPs” to travel back and forth to Yerushalayim.

To Read The Full Story