Israeli settlers' main road to be 'blockaded' during Obama visit
U.S. President Barack Obama's scheduled visit to the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem in two days will shut down the main artery serving settler vehicle traffic in the West Bank, Route 60, creating a temporary state of siege in the West Bank settlements.
The road runs from north to south, connecting the two Palestinians cities and dividing the West Bank in two. Normally, the Israel Defense Forces forbids blocking any stretch of the road during day time. Any attempt by Palestinians to set up roadblocks triggers a violent reaction from the IDF. On the day of Obama's visit the area the road will be closed for traffic for one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Route 60 provides the only road access to the settlements of Beit El, Psagot, Kochav Yaakov, Migron, and the Sha'ar Binyamin Industrial Zone. The IDF base in Beit El will also be blocked from accessing the road.
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The inner ring of security for Obama’s visit, even at the Palestinian presidential compound, will be under exclusive U.S. control, but Palestinian security forces will provide protection further afield, notably along the route on which the American visitors will be traveling. Occupants of residential and office buildings near the Muqata have been put on notice that they will need to vacate their buildings, and it is expected that wide areas of Ramallah will be under curfew .
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-settlers-main-road-to-be-blockaded-during-obama-visit.premium-1.510443