Israel closes key checkpoint for second time in 24 hours

Ma'an
Israeli armed forces closed the Bethlehem-area container road checkpoint for the second time in 24 hours on Monday.

.......Hundreds of cars were stuck at the checkpoint simply because soldiers were in a bad mood, Ibrahim alleged, urging human rights groups to deter Israeli forces from arbitrarily shutting down the post, which is used by students, employees, and patients to travel across the West Bank.

The checkpoint is erected on the only route through which Palestinians can move from the southern West Bank to the north and center, as holders of Palestinian ID cards have been banned by Israeli authorities from entering Jerusalem since the early 1990s....

Abu Dis, part of occupied East Jerusalem, is the furthest Palestinians can travel into the city. Israel's separation wall and numerous military checkpoints cut off Palestinians from the West Bank (and those living in Abu Dis and its environs) from accessing Sheikh Jarrah, the Old City, and several other Jerusalem neighborhoods.

The container post hampers the movement of Palestinians and is not considered one of Israel's security checkpoints, as it reserved solely for Palestinians traveling between West Bank villages and cities....  Full story