The IDF lifts the general closure on the West Bank imposed on 4/7 for Passover. In the West Bank, the IDF moves into Kafr Haris village nr. Salfit early in the morning, patrolling streets, occupying homes as observation posts, imposing a curfew, barring Palestinians fr. leaving their homes or entering the area; in the afternoon, the IDF escorts some 6,000 Jewish settlers into the town to hold Passover services at several local shrines; during the 15 hrs. that settlers are in the village, they vandalize Palestinian cars and homes, break windows, and spray graffitti without the IDF intervening. The IDF also imposes a curfew on, patrols in Tuqu‘ nr. Bethlehem, stopping vehicles and checking IDs; conducts synchronized latenight arrest raids, house searches in villages around Hebron and Jenin, firing on residential areas, causing no reported injuries; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall southwest of Hebron on land belonging to ‘Arab al-Ramadin village, leveling land within 65 ft. (20 m) of Palestinian homes; levels 6 d. of Palestinian land in Bayt Umar village n. of Hebron for installation of a new electricity network connecting Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron with Hadar Beitar settlement nr. Bethlehem. (OCHA 4/22; PCHR 4/23)
Sunday, April 19, 2009