Israel bans Palestinian workers from most West Bank areas on election day
The Israeli army announced that Palestinian laborers with permits will be prohibited from entering settlements in the occupied West Bank, except for designated industrial zones, on Sunday and Monday.
According to a statement posted on X, the restriction will also extend to a full shutdown of all land crossings throughout the entire election day on 27 October 2026, covering the Jordan Valley and industrial zones. Only workers with permits for approved industrial areas will be allowed entry. The move affects both entry and exit of Palestinian workers across the occupied West Bank for the two-day period.
Why it matters
It limits Palestinian workers' mobility during a key election, affecting livelihoods and regional labor dynamics.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 EU debates ban on settlement products as Israeli forces raze West Bank homes
- Oct 17 Heidi Levine was kicked, stripped of her equipment and hospitalized after being assaulted by roughly fifty young settlers.
- Oct 17 A London demonstration of roughly 250,000 participants was added to the global protest series.
- Oct 17 Settlers attacked a diplomatic convoy in Taybeh, injuring French mayor Bernard Baudoux.
- Oct 19 Israeli police have taken eight individuals into custody following a series of assaults by settlers in the West Bank, which targeted a U.S. photojournalist and several European diplomats.
- Oct 19 Police have arrested ten suspects and filed charges of violent conduct and breach of military orders.
- Oct 23 The strike that killed Akram Yassin and Dina Abu Baker was reported on Tuesday.
- Oct 23 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israeli army is being readied for a comprehensive lockdown of the West Bank following a shooting that wounded five Israelis.
- Oct 23 Netanyahu signalled a broader West Bank shutdown and convened an emergency security cabinet meeting.
- Oct 23 Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said troops would “act forcefully, pursue and reach all those involved in the attack”.
- Oct 24 Israeli forces began coordinated raids that demolished commercial buildings in western Hebron, entered a refugee camp south of the city, used tear‑gas in a northern village, deployed vehicles to Nablus, set up roadblocks and directed residents to leave through screened exits.
- Oct 24 Following the killing of two Israeli soldiers by suspected Palestinians, the Israeli military imposed a full siege on Hebron and ordered a shutdown of the West Bank. The operation involved house searches, demolitions and the arrest of dozens of residents, while settlers attacked local farmers. The move comes days before a national election that could threaten Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hold on power.
- Oct 24 Israeli troops arrested 19 Palestinians during the second day of the Hebron siege.
- Oct 24 Israeli forces began demolishing homes and sealing the city of Hebron following the killing of two soldiers.
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