Palestinian Worker Entry to West Bank Settlements Restricted Ahead of Elections

This decision, based on a security assessment, precedes broader restrictions planned for election day. On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, all Palestinian workers will be barred from entering or exiting the West Bank and Jordan Valley, including industrial zones, and all land crossings will be closed for the entire day. This measure was approved by the political echelon following recommendations from the security establishment.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Friday in Hebron that Israel is preparing for the possibility of a large-scale operation in the West Bank, asserting that the IDF is ready. He noted that Israel has warned in recent weeks of attempts to harm civilians and soldiers ahead of the elections. Netanyahu detailed a planned operation in a Hebron neighborhood from which terrorists emerged, involving resident evacuation, house-to-house searches, weapons seizure, and the destruction of terror infrastructure. He described this as an expansion of tactics used in refugee camps to urban areas.

"We will evacuate the residents, we will go house to house, we will remove weapons there as well, and all terror infrastructure will be dealt with and destroyed," Netanyahu said. He added that a lockdown is being imposed on Hebron and Dura, and the plan might be extended to other cities.

Netanyahu mentioned that he and the Defense Minister have examined a broad operation in the West Bank, the scale of which he described as unseen since the Six-Day War. He also praised settlers, calling them "a bulwark" and "an example to the people of Israel," and affirmed the government's promotion of building and regulating over one hundred settlements and farms. "We will destroy terror infrastructure and establish more and more settlements," he concluded.