Israel Plans Hebron Lockdown and Demolitions After Two Soldiers Killed at Checkpoint

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a lockdown of the West Bank city of Hebron and promised to demolish homes after two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack near a military checkpoint outside the city, The Guardian and The Independent reported. Bulldozers began tearing down a home near the site within hours, and Israel's high court soon issued a temporary order halting the demolitions, according to The Guardian.

The moves come days before Israeli elections on Tuesday, and they have drawn sharp criticism from rights lawyers who say they amount to collective punishment.

What happened at the checkpoint

The Israeli army said two soldiers, Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, were killed, and three others were lightly wounded. The attack took place near the Yehuda Junction outside Hebron.

The army said the two attackers, both Palestinians from Hebron, opened fire at a military position in the morning and were killed by troops after an exchange of fire lasting about 20 minutes. It described the weapons as an M16 rifle and a handgun, while The Guardian described an assault rifle and a handgun. The army said its forces stopped the men from advancing to where civilians could have been hurt.

Army chief of staff Eyal Zamir said a large quantity of ammunition was found in the gunmen's vehicle and was meant for a larger attack. The army also said it carried out dozens of operations across the West Bank afterward and detained dozens of people, including some tied to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

What Israel's leaders say

Netanyahu's office said security forces were told to seal off Hebron immediately and prepare a full closure of the West Bank starting Friday. At the attack site, Netanyahu said residents of the gunmen's neighborhood would be evacuated, that forces would go house by house, and that weapons and what he called terror infrastructure would be destroyed. He blamed Hamas for the attack.

The Guardian reported that Netanyahu also said plans had been drawn up for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967. No date has been set, he said, but “it is on the way.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz said other clan neighborhoods in Hebron that the attackers came from would be emptied of residents, comparing the plan to operations in the Jenin refugee camp, Gaza and Lebanon. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video in front of a bulldozer and said the demolition of a home built without permits was meant to “create deterrence and exact a price.” Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for dismantling the Palestinian Authority. The Independent noted there was no evidence it was tied to the gunmen.

What critics and residents say

Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition on behalf of two nearby factory owners, arguing that the demolitions violate international law on collective punishment and Israeli administrative law. The Guardian said there was no claim that the building's owners were linked to the attackers. A Reuters reporter, cited by The Independent, said local residents told the reporter the demolished homes had no connection to the gunmen.

Israeli lawyer Michael Sfard described Smotrich's video as a direct admission of collective punishment. U.S. congressional candidate Brad Lander, who was in the West Bank on Friday, said the closure was part of an effort to make Palestinian life impossible.

Yishai Fleisher, a spokesperson for Hebron's Jewish community and a candidate for the Otzma Yehudit party, said Israel has the right to defend itself against a hostile majority.

What's at stake

Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, with about 250,000 residents, according to The Guardian. Any lockdown or forced evacuation of neighborhoods would affect residents' movement and housing, and Palestinian movement in the territory is already heavily restricted by checkpoints and roadblocks.

The Independent reported it was the fourth time in the past month that Israel had imposed restrictions across the West Bank, shutting gates and checkpoints connecting Palestinian villages to main roads, while roads remain open to Israeli drivers, including settlers.

The next steps include the court's handling of the petition and the election on Tuesday, in which polls show the governing coalition is likely to lose its majority, The Guardian said.

Around Prague, based on reporting by The Guardian, The Independent