Ramallah village blockaded by newly constructed Israeli steel gate

Israeli forces on Tuesday morning installed a steel gate at the main entrance to the West Bank village of Ein Yabrood east of Ramallah, locals and Israel's army said.

Locals told Ma'an that clashes had erupted in the village late on Monday between local youths and Israeli troops, and that they believed the installation of the steel gate at the village's main entrance was a "punitive procedure."

They said that it had remained closed since it was installed, forcing residents to take long alternative routes to access Ramallah city and neighboring villages.

An Israeli army spokesperson said that the village entrance had been "blocked" due to a shooting on a nearby Israeli bus stop used by settlers on Thursday last week.

She said that the alleged Palestinian attacker had fled the scene, without injuring any Israelis, and had not yet been apprehended.

She said the situation would "be reviewed at a later date," and that village residents could use alternative routes until then.

Israeli forces maintain severe restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement in the West Bank through a complex combination of fixed checkpoints, flying checkpoints, roads forbidden to Palestinians but open to Jewish settlers, and various other physical obstructions.

Israeli rights group B'Tselem has condemned these restrictions on movement as "collective punishment," saying that even if their intention was to prevent attacks on Israelis, they would be prohibited under international law due to their "sweeping and disproportionate nature."