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Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The Israeli government on Tuesday announced it would close all crossings to and from the West Bank and Gaza for the 11-day Sukkot holiday. The closings, which The Times of Israel described as "a rare move," are scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
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Sukkot, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacle which celebrates the fall harvest and commemorates the desert wandering of the Jews during the Exodus, ends Oct. 12, though the closures are scheduled to continue through the weekend, ending midnight on Oct. 14.
The Israel Defense Forces' Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories may approve exceptions for humanitarian and medical cases.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman approved the closures after a deadly shooting in the West Bank's Har Adar settlement last week.
A resident of the Palestinian village of Bayt Surik allegedly shot and killed a border officer and two private security guards, all Israelis. A fourth man, Har Adar's security coordinator, was seriously injured in the attack.
