Israel Defense Forces ban Palestinian laborers from Judea‑Samaria communities

The Israel Defense Forces issued an order barring Palestinian workers from entering Jewish communities in the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) area until further notice. The measure follows a series of attacks that killed two IDF soldiers near Havat Gilad in northern Samaria and saw a Palestinian seize a soldier’s weapon south of Hebron, wounding another soldier. Palestinians may still work in designated industrial zones, and construction sites can be exempted at the request of individual communities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced additional steps, including demolition of the attackers’ homes, heightened IDF deployments across the territories, revocation of work permits, separation of Israeli and Palestinian traffic at key routes, and acceleration of settlement legalization. Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth described the recent days as “tense” and said the army is using all means to prevent further escalation.