The Israel Defense Force has partially eased a closure on the West Bank town Hebron, after this week’s terrorist ambush of a bus that killed two Israelis.
As of Thursday, just a night curfew will be in effect.
Military officials said the curfew was needed to prevent friction between Jewish and Palestinian residents in Hebron. The curfew also will aid in the search for assailants, they said.
Mustafa Natshe, the mayor of Hebron, called the curfew a “campaign of cruelty,” saying it was collective punishment for the act of “two or three people.”
Meanwhile, President Ezer Weizman and his wife visited the family of Yhuda Fartush, on of the victims of Sunday’s attack.
The precedent appealed to the Jewish residents of Kiryat Arba and Hebron to reduce tensions. He also met with Kiryat Arba council leader, Zvi Katzover, who this week accused the army of being negligent in protecting settlers.
Weizman responded that when it comes to protection, the IDF does not distinguish between Israelis who live in the territories and those who do not.
Weizman promised to convey the settlers’ security concerns to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Rabin drew from settler leaders Thursday for his remarks in the Knesset that the state spends more per capita to subsidize settlers than payments to pensioners.
In the Gaza Strip meanwhile the IDF has announced that it will tighten checks on vehicles crossing from Gaza into Israel, after this week’s attempted truck bombing near Beersheba.
On Monday, Israeli police averted what was believed to be an attempted suicide bombing when they sopped a truck filled with several dozen pounds of explosives packed in cartons and plastic crates.
Authorities arrested two Hamas activists and a Bedouin, who was suspected of aiding the terrorists.
After Monday’s incident, the IDF temporarily barred all Gaza vehicles, which brought protest from Palestinian farmers.
Starting Friday, some 200 trucks carrying produce will be allowed to enter Israel.
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