Holy Land: West Bank borders closed, air raids over Gaza
All border gates in the Separation Wall around the West Bank were shut for 48 hours over the weekend - leaving pilgrims going to or from Bethlehem stranded, workers unable to reach their jobs and patients unable to get to hospital.
The Israeli minister of defense, Ehud Barak, said the measures had been taken "for security reasons". There have been some peaceful demonstrations and a few episodes involving stone-throwing youths, in Jerusalem and other West Bank towns, over the past few days, since the Israeli government announced it was going to take over some Muslim holy sites as part of the 'Israeli cultural heritage'. The government has also approved plans for further illegal building in East Jerusalem - in spite of an official protest from the US government.
The closure of the borders coincided with two Israeli air raids over southern Gaza, close to the Egyptian border, last night. No casualties were reported.
Source: MISNA/DB