Israel closes West Bank borders

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-28-2009 13:14

Israel has imposed a border closure on the West Bank ahead of the country's sixty-first independence celebrations.

Israel marks its memorial day on Tuesday followed by Independence Day on Wednesday.

A hose from a machine used to pump cement is lowered to a Palestinian worker at a construction site next to Israel's separation barrier in the Aida refugee camp near the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, April 27, 2009.  (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

Under the ban, no Palestinians are allowed to cross into Israel except those needing medical care.

Such closures are routine during Jewish and national holidays in Israel. The closure will be lifted at the end of Independence Day.

Israeli authorities say crowds in public places provide a potentially tempting target for Palestinian militants during that time.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei