Israel’s ban on Palestinians could escalate violence

Israeli security forces closed all crossings into and out of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip at midnight on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the army told AFP.

The Dome of the Rock is seen in the back ground as Palestinians pray on the first Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City June 10, 2016.

Cogat, the Israeli body in charge of managing civilian affairs in the West Bank said visas for some 204 relatives of the suspected attackers had also been halted.

Al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida also reported Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani as stating Israeli measures: “will only increase the sense of injustice and frustration felt by Palestinians”.

United Nations rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein condemned the attack but was also “deeply concerned” by Israel’s response, his office said in a statement.

The age limit was not clear, but guards told Palestinians that admission for males was restricted to those over 45 years of age, while other officials said the threshold was either 35 or 30.

While CNN claims their coverage was “an editing mistake”, MSNBC can’t edit away its claims of the “Occupied West Bank” and “Israel’s extreme right-wing government” so easily.

Some said they would not be dissuaded from praying at the mosque, while others vowed to pray at the checkpoints through which they could not pass.

France’s foreign minister warned Friday that Israel’s ban on Palestinians entering its territory following the “abominable” attack on a popular cafe in Tel Aviv could escalate violence instead of focus attention on the need to pursue peace.

The Israeli military says it will deploy two additional battalions in the West Bank in response to Wednesday’s deadly shooting in Tel Aviv.

Israel also closed the crossings for two days last May.

“The measures taken against the broader population punish not the perpetrators of the crime, but tens – maybe hundreds – of thousands of innocent Palestinians”, it said. Police were on high alert in Jerusalem and prayers passed peacefully.

Most of the Palestinians were allegedly carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.

Four people remain hospitalized following the attack, said police spokeswoman Luba Samri, including one of the attackers who is in stable condition. The sealing of the West Bank and Gaza is one of several punitive orders that have been implemented by the Israeli government following an attack in Tel Aviv that left four Israelis killed and another six wounded.

At least 207 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed since October.