PA Areas Closed Off Until Friday

A general closure was imposed on Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of Yehudah and Shomron beginning Monday night at midnight. The closure will last through Thursday at midnight, encompassing Memorial Day and Israel Independence Day. All work permits held by PA Arabs are suspended, and only emergency medical cases will be allowed to pass into Israel proper.

Overnight Monday, IDF soldiers seized weapons that were to be used in terror attacks. Soldiers, working with police, discovered weapons in the Arab village of A-Ziva in Shomron. Among the weapons was an M-16 rifle. The owner of the house was arrested and questioned on what the weapons were doing there.

In a statement, the army said that such weapons were used in terror attacks as well as for criminal activity, and that security forces were determined to seize all weapons that were being held illegally by all people, in order to better protect all Israelis and residents of Palestinian Authority-controlled areas, who are also under threat by terrorists and criminals.

Also overnight, security officials said they arrested three wanted security suspects in other areas in Yehudah and Shomron. The suspects were wanted for participating in rioting and throwing stones and firebombs that endangered Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. Several of the suspects were also charged with belonging to Hamas. All were being questioned on their activities by security forces.