ISRAEL ORDERS ARMY TO PREPARE WEST BANK CLOSURE

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it had instructed security forces to cordon off Hebron and prepare for a full closure of the occupied West Bank from Friday. The order followed a shooting near Yehuda Junction on Friday morning that injured five people, some critically, according to emergency responders. The Israeli military said its soldiers shot and killed two men it accused of launching the attack. The military said it had prevented an attack on Israeli civilians.

“We arrived at a difficult scene while shooting was still taking place in the area,” said Tzuriel Edri, a member of the emergency response team. Responders said two of those injured had gunshot wounds to their lower limbs. They said one was unconscious and seriously injured. Emergency teams evacuated the injured to hospitals in Israel, according to the responders. The military said the two men it killed had an M16 rifle and a handgun. It later set up roadblocks and closures in Palestinian towns around Hebron.

Authorities said an investigation was under way. The identities of the two dead men and the injured people had not been released. The military did not specify the intended target of the attack it alleged. Israeli voters are due to decide on Tuesday whether to give Netanyahu another term as prime minister.