Israel Declares 6 West Bank Cities as Closed Military Zones

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, June 24, 2002

Israel Declares 6 West Bank Cities as Closed Military Zones

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman announced on Monday that six major Palestinian cities in the West Bank have been declared as closed military zones.

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The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman announced on Monday that six major Palestinian cities in the West Bank have been declared as closed military zones.

According to the announcement, the six cities are Ramallah, Bethlehem, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Jenin and Nablus.

In an written message to foreign journalists based in Jerusalem,the Israeli Government Press Office said that the IDF spokesman "reminds" journalists that those cities have been declared as closed military zones, hinting that no journalist will be permitted to enter into those areas.

IDF is widening its offensive in the West Bank when the "Operation Determined Path" goes into its sixth day on Monday.

On early Monday morning, IDF tanks and armored personnel carriers surrounded Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's shell-shattered headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah for the third time this month, while the Palestinian leader was inside.

Also on Monday, the Board of the Foreign Press Association in Israel made public an announcement, strongly protesting Israel's prevention of media coverage of the "Operation Determined Path."

"As of today, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Qalqiliya, and Ramallah are closed military zones," said the announcement

"The combination of the closed military zones, which keep foreign journalists out, on which curfews are imposed, which restrict local journalists to their homes, makes it impossible to cover this important story," the announcement said.

"It means that the media cannot verify reports coming out of these areas, and this can only help the spread of rumor and confusion," the announcement added.

It noted that imposing an indefinite coverage blackout on five urban areas where hundreds of thousands of people live is a flagrant violation of the freedom of the press which Israel is committed to uphold.

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