Israel has closed off Palestinian Arab villages in Judea and Samaria ahead of the start of the festival of Purim beginning Wednesday night and the
security measure will remain in place through Saturday, the army said, according to AFP.
The decision comes amid a wave of Palestinian Arab knife, gun and car-ramming attacks since October.
An army spokeswoman said the measure was taken on orders from the government following an "evaluation of the situation," without providing further details. Exceptions will be made for humanitarian and medical cases, the spokeswoman said.