ISRAEL SETS UP CHECKPOINTS IN RAMALLAH DISTRICT VILLAGES

Ramallah, 19 Ramadan 1436/6 July 2015 (MINA) – Israeli forces on Saturday evening set up checkpoints at the entrances to several Ramallah district villages where they inspected Palestinian vehicles entering and leaving.

Witnesses told Ma’an that heavy traffic formed at the main entrances to al-Mughayir, Turmusaya and Nabi Salih villages as Israeli soldiers checked the identity cards of all passengers.

No arrests were reported.

Israeli forces have carried out a range of operations in the villages since three Israeli settlers were injured and one killed in a shooting north of Ramallah on Monday last week, Ma’an News Agency reports as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

The village of al-Mughayir, which is close to where the shooting took place, has seen large numbers of Israeli soldiers pass through, with multiple detention raids carried out the day after the attack.

Witnesses told Ma’an that soldiers ransacked Palestinian homes and detained young men “haphazardly.”

They added that soldiers deployed on every street corner in the village after setting up military checkpoints at its entrances.

Worshipers who tried to go to mosques for dawn prayer were denied access and forced to return to their homes, they said.

Monday’s shooting followed a string of “lone-wolf” attacks by Palestinians on Israeli military and civilians. The shooter, or shooters, remain unknown, and no verified statement has claimed responsibility. (T/P010/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)