Israel army ends crackdown on West Bank town after attack
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Around 50 residents of Qabatiya were briefly detained during the two-day operation.
PHOTO: EPA
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JERUSALEM - The Israeli military said on Dec 28 it had ended its operation in a town in the occupied West Bank that it had sealed off after a Palestinian from the area killed two Israelis.
Around 50 residents of Qabatiya were briefly detained during the two-day operation, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, quoting the town’s mayor Ahmed Zakarneh.
The attacker’s father and two brothers remained in custody, it added.
The military launched the operation on Dec 26,
When contacted by AFP on Dec 28 morning, the military confirmed the end of its operation in the area.
Defence Minister Israel Katz previously said the army had completely sealed off the town.
Wafa also reported that Israeli troops had withdrawn from Qabatiya, near the city of Jenin.
Mr Zakarneh said the town had been in a state of “total paralysis” during the military activity.
Israeli army bulldozers tore up pavement on several streets and erected roadblocks to halt traffic, he said, adding that around 50 houses were searched.
Wafa reported that a school had been turned into a detention and interrogation centre.
AFPTV footage filmed on Dec 27 showed Israeli soldiers carrying automatic rifles and patrolling the streets, where several armoured vehicles were deployed.
Shops were closed, though men and children were seen walking through the village.
On Dec 28, the Israeli army said it had sealed off the assailant’s home and was finalising “the procedures required for its demolition”.
Israeli authorities argue that demolishing the homes of Palestinians who carry out attacks against Israelis has a deterrent effect.
Critics, however, condemn the practice as collective punishment that leaves families homeless.
