Liberman denies he opposed IDF recommendation to seal off West Bank for Sukkot

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s office denies a television report that he went against a military recommendation in calling for the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip for the weeklong Sukkot holiday.

Channel 2 reported that the decision was made despite disagreement by the IDF, which a spokesperson for Liberman dismissed as “nonsense.”

Israel regularly closes off the West Bank and Gaza for Jewish and Israeli holidays, though, in cases of week-long holidays like Sukkot, this measure is often only in place for the first and last days of the festival.

According to the official, since the terror attack last week outside the Har Adar settlement near Jerusalem, the military’s stance has been that a closure of the West Bank should be imposed throughout the entire holiday.

“That recommendation was accepted by the defense minister,” Liberman’s spokesperson says.

–Judah Ari Gross