Israel blocks off Gaza Strip, West Bank for Passover

Israel has announced the closure of all points of entry bet-ween the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Israeli territory on Friday and Saturday for the Jew-ish holiday of Passover.

Tensions are high in Israel following a wave of violence that has killed 201 Palestinians and 28 Israelis since October.

The blockade was decided after “an evaluation of the security situation”, a military spokesperson said without giving specifics. The Israeli government regularly closes off access to Israel for Palestinians during major Jewish religious festivals, though exceptions will be made for humanitarian and medical cases, the spokesperson added.

Thousands of Jewish pilgrims flock to Jerusalem and other holy sites during the eight-day holiday of Passover, which commemorates the Jewish exodus from Egypt in Biblical times.

“As Passover approaches, all sorts of extremists will spread lies about our policy concerning the Temple Mount,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week, referring to a historical site in Jerusalem considered sacred by Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Meanwhile, Israeli MPs and ministers have been banned from entering the Temple Mount “for security reasons” during the Jewish Passover festival.

The compound is known to Muslims as the Al-Aqsa mosque.

Visits by Israeli officials during Jewish holidays are considered provocati-ons by many Palestinians, who fear Israel wants to take control of the third holiest site in Islam. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism.

“The ban on ministers and MPs was decided for security reasons” during the eight-day Passover festival, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, without giving further details. “However, the visits of tourists and Jewish visitors can continue normally,” he said.

Under the current arrangement, Jews are allowed to visit the compound but not pray.

Three “young Jews” who were planning to sacrifice a sheep on the Temple Mount during Passover were arrested on Friday, the police announced, saying they “threatened to undermine the peace.”