OneWorld.net (U.S.)

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 27 (OneWorld) - UN officials and human rights activists warned Israel Thursday against its plans to close its borders with the West Bank over the next several days.

"Although we recognize Israel's security concerns, we hope that all security measures are limited in such a way that it does not pose any harm to the Palestinian population," UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told OneWorld.

On Wednesday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced they were preparing to close the border in connection with the Jewish Sukkot holidays, which will continue until next Wednesday.

During that period, some border passes may remain open but only for humanitarian emergencies. Reports from the region say journalists may be allowed to move in and out of the West Bank but not to cross over the Eretz border pass between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Considering that another round of hostilities between the Israeli forces and Palestinian militants has already become likely, a U.S.-based international human rights group cautioned against the army's decision.

"All countries have the right to regulate entrance across their borders," said Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch. "However, restrictions on freedom of movement within the Occupied Palestinian Territories must be targeted to particular threats and not constitute collective punishment against entire communities," he told OneWorld.

Israeli military officials justified the decision to close the borders by saying that they anticipated "terror threats during the Jewish holiday."

Apart from the West Bank, currently, clashes between the Israeli army and Palestinian militants are continuing in the Gaza Strip. Reports from the region suggest that Gaza has been almost completely isolated by the Israeli army since September 19.

On Wednesday, an IDF spokesman said its air force destroyed two Qassam rocket launchers in Beit Hanun in the north of Gaza. For its part, Hamas' military wing claimed to have launched attacks on the Kissufim kibbutz near the Israeli border.

Israel reportedly pulled back its forces from northern Gaza after killing 11 people in clashes with local militants. The killings of Palestinians have now prompted calls for revenge from Hamas.

"Israel will have to pay a heavy price for the attack," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told journalists Wednesday.

Israeli authorities justified the killings in Gaza saying that those dead were militants, but independent sources said there might be some civilians among the dead.

According to media accounts, the number of people killed in violence between Israelis and Palestinians since 2000 is estimated to be nearly 6,000, the majority of whom were Palestinians.

Despite international calls for restraint, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned this week that there would be "an extensive operation" against Palestinian militants who are equipped with rockets.

"This operation will not be simple," he said, "both because of the forces that will have to be involved and the time limit that will be imposed on them."

Israel launched a five-month operation inside Gaza in 2006 after the capture of an Israeli soldier. Israel considers the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, which is home to 1.4 million Palestinians, to be an "enemy territory."

Voicing their concern over the ongoing bloodshed, a group of well-respected Israeli intellectuals and writers called for their government this week to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas, but that appeal seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

The government rejected their petition by saying that a group dedicated to "Israel's destruction" could not be a partner in negotiations.

Those who signed the petition for negotiations included internationally acclaimed authors Amos Oz, David Grossman, and AB Yehoshua.

"Israel has in the past negotiated with its worst enemies," they said in their petition. "Now the appropriate course of action is to negotiate with Hamas to reach a general ceasefire to prevent further suffering for both sides."

Israeli foreign ministry officials called the petition "counter productive" and said they were only willing to negotiate with the Palestinian moderates, which refers to the Palestinian Liberation Organization's (PLO) Al Fatah group led by Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority.

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