The IDF will impose a closure on Judea and Samaria during the Purim holiday. Under a state of closure, Arabs from Judea and Samaria may not cross the security barrier into pre-1967 Israel and may not enter Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. The closure will begin at midnight Thursday and end at midnight Monday, depending on the IDF's assessment of the security situation.
The IDF said that Arabs will be permitted to enter Israel in humanitarian cases, in medical emergencies and other special cases, subject to approval by the IDF Civil Administration. “The IDF will continue to act in order to protect the residents of the state of Israel, while taking into account the fabric of Palestinian life,” the IDF Spokesman said.
The imposition of closures is a standard IDF procedure during Jewish holidays. It is intended to protect Jews from terror attacks by Arabs during the holidays, which find people gathered in large groups for celebration, making them more vulnerable to attack. In addition, holiday terror attacks have an especially demoralizing effect on the general population and are thus favored by terrorists.
Unlike a curfew, a closure does not forbid people from leaving their homes or from traveling on roads in Judea and Samaria.
The Israel Police will deploy throughout celebration sites to prevent and minimize violence. Venues of large scale public events will be treated as “security zones” and security checks at sea and land entrances to Israel will be extra-stringent. Thousands of police, Border Police and volunteers will fan out in city centers and on the “seam line” surrounding Judea and Samaria.
A special effort will be made to enforce the law forbidding sale of alcohol to minors.