The Israeli military siege imposed against more than a dozen Palestinian towns and villages northwest of Occupied Jerusalem continued Thursday for the third day in a row. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs condemned the Israeli siege and said it critically affects daily life of some 70000 civilians.
Israel imposed a blockade on the towns in retaliation for the shooting and killing of an Israeli border policeman and two security guards by a Palestinian from Beit Surik one of 16 area towns affected by the army siege.
Israeli soldiers maintained presence at checkpoints set up at the entrances to towns that lead to a number of other towns banning people under age of 35 from leaving or entering the area. The army also erected metal gates at the roads leading to these towns. Residents were forced to use alternative unpaved roads to reach their workplaces or health and education facilities.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that the Israeli siege affects all aspects of life in the towns including closure of more than 50 schools while preventing people from getting their urgent necessities such as medicine.
The ministry said that the nightly Israeli army raids on the towns terrorize children and the local unarmed civilian population in addition to damaging private property describing them as collective punishment in violation of international law and a blatant violation of basic human rights.
