The IDF announced Wednesday evening that it will impose a closure this weekend on Israel’s crossings with the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria, and with Gaza. The closure begins shortly before the start of the final holy day of Passover.
“Following a security assessment and in accordance with the guidance of the political echelon, a general closure will be imposed on the Judea and Samaria area and the crossings in the Gaza Strip will be closed, starting tomorrow, April 20 at 5:00 PM,” the IDF tweeted in a statement.
“The opening of the crossings and the removal of the closure will take place on Saturday, April 23, 2022, subject to the assessment of the situation and in accordance with the regular opening hours.”
But that closure will not apply to those Palestinian Authority Muslims who want to worship at the Al Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, according to the IDF Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
For those who are eligible to enter pre-1967 Israel for Ramadan prayers, there will be no closure.
Other exceptions are to include humanitarian, medical and “exceptional” cases, each to be approved by COGAT, as is standard for holiday closures.
