With World’s Eyes on Iran, Israel Locks Down the West Bank

The Israeli military sealed Nablus and closed all but one checkpoint.

“RAMALLAH — Traffic was at a standstill outside of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, as sunset neared and hungry residents were forced to trickle through an Israeli checkpoint to get home and break their fasts”

The Intercept

Traffic was at a standstill outside Nablus as sunset neared, with all vehicles forced through the single crossing called Shavei Shomron.

The Intercept

The Intercept rode with Shadya Saif, 40, who had traveled to Nablus to see a dying uncle and left her chronically ill daughter, who has muscular dystrophy and requires 24-hour care, behind.

Soldiers stopped each car to inspect Palestinians' IDs, allowed only one car at a time to approach the military installation, and some people abandoned cars to walk through checkpoints.

Saif told The Intercept she made it back to Ramallah.

She said unannounced closures have left Palestinians stranded for days, jeopardizing medical care and Ramadan iftar plans.

Just over a week after the U.S. and Israel launched their joint war on Iran, Israeli settlers have ramped up violence in the West Bank while Israeli forces imposed near-total closures of municipal centers, shutting gates and restricting crossings without warning, residents and monitors said.

The Israeli Civil Administration imposed import restrictions that have begun producing flour and fuel shortages similar to those during the Twelve Day War.

The Intercept

As of March 7, only one checkpoint out of Ramallah was open, creating a bottleneck that passes by the Beit El settlement and through the Jalazone refugee camp to Route 60.

Monitors and local figures — including Aviv Tatarsky, Dror Etkes, and Nabih Odeh — described village-after-village closures.

Etkes said 'they always use instances of violence to perpetuate more violence' and called the measures part of a system 'meant to reduce as much as possible the area where Palestinians can move freely'.

They noted Turmus Ayya remained locked despite 80 percent of its residents holding U.S. citizenship.

They reported unemployment around 40 percent, up from 13 percent two years ago, and a GDP contraction of 13 percent since October 7.

WAFA estimated that settler attacks have increased 25 percent since the start of the conflict.

“RAMALLAH — Traffic was at a standstill outside of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, as sunset neared and hungry residents were forced to trickle through an Israeli checkpoint to get home and break their fasts”

The Intercept

The Intercept reported that Israeli settlers have killed six Palestinians since the start of the war with Iran, including three in one incident in Khirbet Abu Falah east of Ramallah.

The Intercept named the victims as Fare' Hamayel and Thaer Hamayel, who were shot, and Mohammad Murra, who died of suffocation from tear gas deployed by Israeli forces.

Messages circulating in settler WhatsApp groups and a graphic invoking the Israel Defense Forces' operation read: "It is time to launch a preemptive attack in all arenas, until the enemy is expelled from the country and subdued outside it. This time we win, once and for all."

Activists and monitors said settlers appear to feel additional impunity while global attention is on Iran.

Etkes said, "They will be treated as heroes by their supporters, by their society."

Orly Noy said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has used the Iranian threat to consolidate support and "taken advantage of it very well."