(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The closure was set to last until 7:00 p.m., and was put in place to allow Israelis living in illegal settlements in the West Bank to mark the country's 63rd anniversary of statehood, Palestinian Authority official charged with settlement monitoring Ghassan Doughlas told Ma'an.
Witnesses said soldiers had erected a military checkpoint at the Beita village crossroads five kilometers south of Huwwara. The road also shut down access to the village of Awarta.
Witnesses added that Israeli troops had been deployed at Nablus crossroads since Tuesday morning.
Settler violence in the northern West Bank has reached a peak, the third since the demolition of an illegal outpost in February. A second wave of violence followed the murder of five settlers in their homes, and the third came as Palestinian factions announced the signing of a unity deal reuniting Palestinians under one government.
The Huwwara checkpoint and junction just south of the military area has become a flashpoint of settler violence. The area is the major thoroughfare for Palestinians traveling north to south, and a hub for settler travel in the northern West Bank.
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