IDF Closes West Bank Routes as Election Security Push Begins

The Israel Defense Forces began sealing West Bank access routes on Monday night, setting up roadblocks and what the military called breathing closures around cities and towns it identified as possible flashpoints for violence. The measures are intended to limit friction between Israeli and Palestinian residents ahead of the Knesset election.

Troops stationed along the security barrier were reinforced over concerns that attackers could cross into Israel, the IDF said. The military is also sending additional forces to hiking areas in the West Bank, expecting many Israelis to visit such sites during the Election Day public holiday. Brig. Gen. Kobi Heller, who commands the Judea and Samaria Division, has directed operations at several locations over the past 24 hours.

Units under the Paratroopers Brigade headquarters, led by Col. Roi Zweig, are running operations in the Shiloh Valley to address what the IDF described as nationalist crime. Overnight, security forces did not prevent incidents involving settlers in the Binyamin region, including the torching of Palestinian vehicles.

The Judea and Samaria Division also carried out arrest operations in the Qalqilya, Jenin and Nablus districts. Security forces conducted field interrogations and warned individuals accused of incitement. A security official told Walla on Tuesday morning that IDF engineering forces were preparing to demolish illegal structures, the homes of suspected attackers and monuments as part of efforts to counter incitement to terrorism and deter copycat attacks.

Heller said coordination among security agencies on Election Day is a priority, covering the Israel Police, the Israel Border Police in the West Bank and the Shin Bet, also known as Israel Security Agency. The IDF said the added coordination is meant to produce a rapid response to any incidents.