Israel Seals Off West Bank, Gaza, Braces for Violence

The Israeli army will close off the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip for three days in expectation of major demonstrations called by the Palestine Liberation Organization to mark Land Day, a Palestinian anniversary, the army announced today.

In the occupied Gaza Strip, Palestinian residents will be confined to their homes for three days, the army said. In the West Bank, Palestinian residents will be restricted to their cities and villages.

Arabs will be prevented from entering the area from Israel, but the 65,000 Jewish settlers living in the territories will be allowed to travel freely, the army spokesman said.

Maj. Gen. Ephraim Lapid said the army also will bar Palestinians from leaving the West Bank via the two bridges across the Jordan river. Incoming traffic from Jordan will be permitted, he said.

In Washington, the State Department said it regrets Israel’s decision. Spokesman Charles E. Redman said the move would have an impact on commerce, visits between family members and the press.

U.N. figures report 119 Arabs killed since unrest began in the occupied territories on Dec. 8. One Israeli soldier has been killed.

Pooled Press Coverage

Lapid said only pooled press coverage will be allowed during the three-day period. Reporters will be accompanied by a military spokesman, the official said.

“The purpose is to keep the territories quiet. It is not directed specifically against the press, but we don’t want to give the people of the areas any reason for causing disturbances,” said a senior defense official.

The measures are to take effect at 1 a.m. Tuesday on the West Bank and 10 p.m. tonight in the Gaza Strip. Five-hour nightly curfews are already in effect in Gaza.

Israel’s 24-member Cabinet authorized the measures in its weekly session Sunday, Israeli officials said.

The officials said the move was calculated to lessen tensions Wednesday, when Palestinians will mark Land Day, the 12th anniversary of a 1976 clash between Israeli soldiers and Arabs over the confiscation of Arab land. Six Arabs were killed.

Underground leaflets signed by the PLO have called for major demonstrations throughout Israel and the occupied territories to mark the occasion.

New Protest on Shultz

Also today, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir sharply protested a meeting between Secretary of State George P. Shultz and two Arab-Americans tied to the PLO.

A 19-year-old Palestinian, meanwhile, died of wounds he suffered during a clash Sunday in the West Bank village of Salfit.

The army said villagers attacked troops who came to rescue a tour bus that mistakenly entered the village.