Israel Orders West Bank Closed for Yom Kippur
The West Bank was closed by the Israeli military ahead of Yom Kippur.
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon ordered the closure, which begins at 11:59 p.m. Thursday and will remain in effect until the same time on Saturday.
Palestinians needing humanitarian assistance will be able to enter Israel with the permission of the Civil Administration.
Ben Gurion Airport also will be closed to all flights from 2 p.m. Friday, Yom Kippur eve, through Saturday night following the end of Yom Kippur. All radio and television stations also go off the air for the Day of Atonement.
Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, coincides this year with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the second most important holiday on the Muslim calendar. Eid al-Adha commemorates the near sacrifice by Abraham of his son Issac.
Fearing clashes between Jews and Muslims during the holiday observances, police will increase their presence in mixed Arab- and Jewish-Israeli cities — especially in Jerusalem and Acre — according to Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30