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Palestinian security forces obstruct marches heading to Israeli checkpoints

July 17, 2014 at 2:46 pm

Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces prevented on Wednesday several Palestinian marches from reaching Israeli checkpoints in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu news agency reported.

“[PA] security services stopped a massive march, called for by the Palestinian popular forces, from reaching an Israeli checkpoint near the Israeli settlement of Beit El in the east of Ramallah,” the witnesses told Anadolu.

The witnesses said that the march started in front of Al-Beerah Mosque and planned to protest near the Israeli checkpoint, but the PA security services laid down a full security cordon around the whole area leading to the checkpoint.

Meanwhile, other witnesses told Anadolu that the security services also stopped a second rally, which planned to protest near the Israeli checkpoint located on the western entrance of Bethlehem, in the south of the West Bank.

The Palestinian security services turned the whole area around the settlement into a closed military zone and banned people and cars from reaching it.

In the city of Jenin in the north of the West Bank, a third march was organised in solidarity with the Gaza Strip. The march planned to head to the Israeli checkpoint of Al-Jalameh; however, PA security services also reportedly stopped people from reaching the checkpoint.

Other marches are still planned in several Palestinian cities in the West Bank in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under a massive Israeli assault since last Tuesday, 8 July.