West Bank Blockades Begin Ahead of Vote

The IDF began restricting movement in West Bank cities on Monday night, setting up temporary roadblocks and so-called breathing closures around locations identified as potential flashpoints for violence ahead of the 26th Knesset election. Brig. Gen. Kobi Heller, who commands the Judea and Samaria Division, has overseen operations at several sites over the past 24 hours as part of preparations for Election Day.

Troops along the security barrier were reinforced Monday night on concern that terrorists could attempt to cross into Israel. Additional security forces are also being sent to hiking sites across the West Bank, where the IDF expects many Israelis to visit during the Election Day public holiday, with deployments limited to areas where visits were coordinated in advance.

Arrest operations were launched in the Qalqilya, Jenin and Nablus districts by the Judea and Samaria Division, intended to increase pressure on the ground amid fears of attacks. Security forces also conducted field interrogations and warned individuals accused of incitement. A security official told Walla on Tuesday morning that IDF engineering forces were preparing to demolish illegal structures, militants' homes and monuments as part of efforts to combat incitement to terrorism and to prevent copycat attacks.

Separately, the Paratroopers Brigade headquarters, under Col. Roi Zweig, has been running operations against nationalist crime in the Shiloh Valley, within the Binyamin Regional Brigade's area. Overnight, security forces in the Binyamin region did not prevent incidents of settler violence, including the torching of Palestinian vehicles.

Heller has stressed coordination among security agencies on Election Day, covering the Israel Police, the Israel Border Police in the West Bank and the Shin Bet. That coordination is intended to produce a rapid operational response to incidents that may arise.

The blockades, roadblocks and added troop deployments are in place ahead of the 26th Knesset election, with public holiday travel expected at hiking sites across the West Bank.