Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH – Dozens of armed Jewish occupiers on Friday closed the entrance of the West Bank town of Beit Ommar, to the north of Hebron. Mohammed Ayyad Awad, spokesman of Popular Committee Against the Wall in Hebron area, said that the occupiers, backed by Israeli security forces closed the town's main entrance and barred residents from leaving it. Beit Ommar is home to 13,400 residents. He added that the, the residents “were forced to use alternative roads, walk through mountains to enter the village by avoiding Israeli checkpoints.” Awad said that the occupiers also attacked the Palestinian farmers in the area. No injuries were reported. The Israeli army confirmed the move saying that the occupiers closed the town's entrance as part of their protests against the rise of rock and firebomb attacks Palestinian territories. Jewish occupiers from the settlements of Gush Etzion, between occupied Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and Kiryat Arba', to the east of Hebron, demonstrated last week on Route 60 near the Palestinian village of al-Khader in protest of Palestinians' attacks in the area. The occupiers called on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon “to stop this impossible reality and give Israeli soldiers a free hand to eradicate terror.” Malachi Levinger of the Kiryat Arba' local council said at the time that similar rallies will be put in place Ramallah and Nablus areas in support of the easing of open fire regulations in the Palestinian territories. The Army Radio said that Jewish occupiers and right-wing Israeli politicians have been demanding since the killing of an occupier t the end of April that the army restores deterrence in the occupied territories by easing its rules of engagement. In the West Bank, there are more than 500,000 Jewish settlers who live with 2.5 million Palestinians. Tension has been always on between the two sides that usually turn into violence. The issue of settlements is one of the thorniest issues that stall the resumption of direct peace talks between Palestinian Authority and Israel which collapsed in October 2010 because Israel insisted to continue settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel has built 145 settlements and 125 unauthorized settlement outposts in West Bank, and 15 settlements in and surrounding Jerusalem. The US administration is currently trying to revive the peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, thus far in vain. The Palestinians insist not to resume any direct or indirect peace talks with Israel before the latter clearly declares a complete cessation of settlement activities in the territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem that Palestinians want the capital of their future state.
Netanyahu accused the Palestinians of setting preconditions for negotiations. Palestinians say the settlements will deny them a viable state.
