Israel installs iron gate at entrance of Palestinian West Bank village to restrict movement

The Israeli military installed a new iron gate at the main entrance of the town of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem, in the West Bank on Wednesday, Wafa news agency reported.

The gate effectively closes the checkpoint in both directions, aimed at restricting the movement and freedom of Palestinian residents, Wafa wrote.

There is another gate at the southern entrance to the town. 

Jerusalem is now surrounded by 85 barriers, which the Jerusalem governorate said in a statement is part of a strategy for full control over the city, including its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The governorate expressed concern over intensifying Israeli actions, which it says are designed to keep Jerusalem in a stranglehold and isolate it from other Palestinian communities. Other Israeli measures it cited include an increase in military checkpoints, and an increase in land expansion and annexation plans.

It also added that the international community’s silence effectively grants Israel the green light to advance its "colonial and Judaization schemes".