On July 2, 2016, the military imposed an encirclement on the city of Yatta in Hebron District. This was another aspect of the
severe movement restrictions imposed recently on the city’s population, following an attack against Israelis carried out by two of the city’s residents in Tel Aviv on June 8, 2016.
On July 21, 2016,
HaMoked petitioned the High Court of Justice (HCJ) to lift encirclement. HaMoked stressed that this was utterly prohibited collective punishment, and that the military was thus trampling the rights of the city’s population, some 70,000 people, and also some 30,000 others living in the surrounding area, who were dependent on the city for their livelihood, education and various services.
On July 25, 2016, before the court hearing scheduled for July 27, 2016, the military began lifting the encirclement. Thereupon,
HaMoked requested that the court cancel the urgent hearing and allow HaMoked to submit an updating notice some days later. The HCJ granted the request.
On the morning of July 27, 2016, the last roadblock was removed from the entrance to the city.
