Israeli forces destroy Palestinian coronavirus checkpoint in occupied West Bank

Occupying Israeli forces shot at Palestinians in occupied Jenin and destroyed a checkpoint on their way out.

2 min read

20 July, 2020

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 [Getty]

Israeli soldiers destroyed a Palestinian security checkpoint used to test for coronavirus in the occupied West Bank, according to media reports.

The checkpoint was set up by Palestinian security forces at the entrance to the occupied West Bank city of Jenin to contain the spread of the deadly disease.

Israeli forces also injured a Palestinian man during clashes at the Jenin refugee camp, according to the Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa.

Local sources said soldiers stormed Jenin and its refugee camp early Monday morning to arrest activists when clashes broke out with residents.

Israeli soldiers shot at Palestinians in the area, according to the reports, injuring one person in the leg.

Two people were arrested before they troops left the city and the checkpoint was destroyed.

Israel has occupied the West Bank illegally since 1967, and commits various abuses against Palestinian civilians, human rights groups say.

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.

The Oslo agreement of 1995 divided the occupied West Bank into three: Area A, Area B and Area C.

Area A is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Area B's administration is controlled by the Palestinian Authority, with Israel controlling security. Area C is under full administrative and security control of Israel.

Israel's plans to annex the West Bank have been denounced as an illegal violation of international law by world leaders as well as UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet.

Israel was originally supposed to begin annexing the occupied West Bank on 1 July, but the plan had been delayed - allegedly because the map to annex the territories was not ready on time.