Jenin governor slams Israeli sanctions on northern West Bank city and nearby towns

Jenin governor Akram Rajoub slams the Israeli decision to impose restrictions on the West Bank area, saying it will only lead to more violence.

“When you punish all of Jenin, prevent commerce and workers, you push people into a corner. Expect him to do anything,” Rajoub tells The Times of Israel.

Israeli authorities announced several sanctions on Jenin following repeated clashes between troops and Palestinian gunmen in the area. Two of the Palestinian attackers in the recent terror wave also came from Jenin and the surrounding villages.

But Rajoub declined to condemn the two terrorists. He distanced himself from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s denunciation of the attacks.

“Palestinians are not terrorists. Palestinians want to free themselves from occupation,” Rajoub says.

“There’s no political horizon, there’s no economic horizon, and there’s no hope to end the occupation. So what do you expect from the Palestinian people?” Rajoub adds.