Israeli siege has surrounded the city for several days
Jericho suffocates and 55,<> Palestinians seek help
Salah Samhouri is coordinator of the National Forces Committee in Jericho. Emirates Today
Israeli military checkpoints were deployed at all entrances to Jericho. Emirates Today
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Since Saturday, April 22, coinciding with the second day of Eid al-Fitr, the Israeli occupation has continued to besiege the city of Jericho in the eastern West Bank, by closing its main and secondary entrances with military checkpoints.
The Israeli occupation forces prevent the movement of residents, as well as the exit of vehicles from or entry to Jericho, which threatens severe humanitarian crises for its 55,<> residents, especially sick cases, students and workers.
Since the first day of April, the oldest residential patch on earth has faced incursions, arrests, closures and the firing of live bullets at children and the elderly by Israeli forces.
Closure and prosecution
The coordinator of the National Forces Committee in Jericho, Salah al-Samhouri, told Emirates Today in an exclusive interview: "The occupation is erecting its military checkpoints at the two main northern entrances to Jericho, namely: (Training Authority), and (Al-Ma'arjat), and the main southern entrance near the camp (Aqbat Jabr), the largest Palestinian camp in the West Bank, as well as the main eastern entrance, known as (the yellow gate), in addition to closing the sub-entrances on the western side."
Samhouri describes the Israeli siege against Jericho governorate as collective punishment, adding: "The Israeli forces, which are heavily deployed at all entrances to Jericho, impede the passage of patients, students and merchants through their military checkpoints, which have isolated the towns of Jericho from each other."
He pointed out that the occupation continues to pursue and arrest citizens, in addition to storming the camps of "Aqbat Jabr and Al-Sultan", and shooting at citizens, which resulted in the death of two young men until the 10th day of the ongoing strike, and the injury of 10 other young men.
The coordinator of the National Forces Committee in Jericho noted that the occupation closed all the ports of Jericho governorate, forcing residents to take rough dirt roads, leading to the locations of their basic daily needs, including treatment, work, and study.
Samhouri continues: "These exceptional cases of movement are also targeted by the Israeli blockade, as settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army forces, are deployed on the tops of hills, mountains and dirt roads surrounding Jericho, to block the Palestinians' way, prevent them from passing, while beating them, in addition to destroying their vehicles."
Targeting vital sectors
"The occupation's closure of the main entrances to Jericho targets its vital sectors and harms its economy, which depends primarily on tourism activity, as the losses of nearly 100 tourist facilities, hundreds of millions of shekels, since the imposition of the Israeli blockade," said Jericho Governor Jihad Abu al-Asal.
According to Abu al-Assal, the oldest city is a summer resort and a recreational place for residents of the West Bank, Jerusalem, as well as the occupied Palestinian interior, especially during the holiday season, as 600,150 tourists were expected to come to Jericho during the days of Eid al-Fitr, but only about <>,<> entered it, due to preventing Palestinians from entering the cities of the interior during Eid al-Fitr, in addition to restricting the passage of vehicles to and from it.
He points out that Jericho is visited by Palestinian travelers towards Jordanian territory, through the Palestinian "Karama crossing", or as Jordanians call it, "King Hussein Bridge."
", which separates the territories of the West Bank and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, noting that the occupation since its siege of the city, tightens the measures imposed on the movement of transit passengers.
The governor of Jericho said: "In addition to damaging the tourism sector, the Israeli blockade targets the agricultural sector in Jericho, which is famous for its vast fertile land area, as a result of bulldozing agricultural roads and preventing farmers from accessing their agricultural land, which destroyed its crops and caused heavy financial losses.
Governor of Jericho Jihad Abu al-Asal:
"The occupation closure of the main entrances to Jericho targets its vital sectors and harms its economy, which depends primarily on tourism activity, as the losses of nearly 100 tourist facilities, hundreds of millions of shekels, since the imposition of the Israeli blockade."
The Israeli occupation forces prevent the movement of residents, as well as the exit of vehicles from or entry to Jericho, which threatens severe humanitarian crises for its 55,<> residents, especially sick cases, students and workers.