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Lockdown in West Bank
21/09/2007 12:04 - (SA)
Jerusalem - Israel imposed a lockdown on the occupied West Bank overnight as part of security measures brought in for Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement and the holiest in the Hebrew calendar, the army said.
"The total closure came into effect overnight and will last until Sunday morning unless it is extended," an army spokesperson said.
Yom Kippur is the holiest and most important holiday in Judaism.
The observant neither eat nor drink from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday as they pray for forgiveness for their sins.
Israel suspends all TV and radio broadcasts, stops all public transport and closes ports and airports during the holiday, along with entertainment venues.
This year is the 34th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Egypt and Syria launched a surprise assault on the Jewish state which cost the lives of 2 700 Israelis and which continues to haunt the Jewish state.
- AFP
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