Israel closes Palestinian territories for holiday

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel closed off the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sunday for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the army said, as concerns rose over whether visits to a sensitive holy site could lead to violence.

The restrictions barring Palestinians from entering would remain in place through Monday, but humanitarian cases would be allowed passage, said an Israeli army spokesperson. 

Sukkot usually sees an increase in the number of Jewish visitors to the flashpoint Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif compound in East Jerusalem, which has led to clashes in past years.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it, in a move never recognised by the international community, and the holy site is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.