Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is the military correspondent for The Times of Israel.
Israel closed the Salem crossing in the northern West Bank on Thursday following repeated gunfire in the area, the army’s liaison with the Palestinians said.
The crossing is basically used by Israeli Arabs visiting the Palestinian city of Jenin and its landscape for business or pleasure. It had been largely closed to civilian traffic in recent years but was reopened this summer as part of a series of gestures amid U. S. President Joe Biden’s scale in the region.
Earlier on Thursday, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an army post near the crossing, causing no injuries.
A video circulating purported to show the moment the gunmen opened fire. In the video you can hear sounds of gunshots.
A branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
COGAT, the Defense Ministry guilty of Palestinian civil affairs, said the crossing would remain closed until further notice.
The closure is expected to have an economic impact on the Jenin region.
— New press | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) October 20, 2022
The Salem crossing, near the Israeli Arab city of the same name, has been the target of gunfire in recent weeks.
In recent months. Armed Palestinians have attacked army posts, troops operating along the West Bank security fence, Israeli settlements and civilians on the roads.
Israeli forces have stepped up arrest raids and counterterrorism efforts in the West Bank since a series of terror attacks against Israelis in the spring killed 19 people.
The anti-terror offensive introduced earlier this year resulted in more than 2,000 arrests in near-night raids on Palestinians and villages.
It killed 123 Palestinians, many of them in attacks or clashes with security forces.
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