NABLUS, Tuesday, June 23, 2020 (WAFA) – Israeli settlers Tuesday evening sealed off the main traffic artery connecting the West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin, said a local activist.

Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement construction in the northern West Bank, confirmed that settlers closed the section of Jenin-Nablus Road, also known as Route 60, at the entrance of Burqa village, restricting the movement of Palestinian vehicles and causing a traffic jam.

A day earlier, settlers hurled stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling on the same road.

Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

There are almost 834,000 Israeli settlers living in colonial settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Since the signing of the Oslo Accords, Palestinians have not been able to travel freely on Route 60, which is spotted with Israeli checkpoints when the road passes from areas under Palestinian control to areas under Israeli military control.

In addition to the checkpoints, Israel has established several ‘bypass roads’, enabling Israeli traffic to bypass areas of Route 60 that passed through Palestinian jurisdiction.

Israeli severely restricts Palestinians’ freedom of movement through a complex combination of approximately 100 fixed checkpoints, flying checkpoints, settler-only roads and various other physical obstructions.

K.F.