Israel lifts siege on Nablus as Lion’s Den group gains more popularity
Israel has partially lifted the siege it had imposed on the West Bank city of Nablus after killing the leader of the Lion’s Den group.
On Nov. 3, the Coordinator of Israeli Government Activities in the Territories, Ghassan Alian, announced that the Israeli authorities approved the lifting of all restrictions imposed on movement and traffic in Nablus and the removal of all the checkpoints erected on the city’s entrances.
The Israeli army had announced Oct. 28 the partial lifting of the siege it had imposed Oct. 11 on the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, and removed two of the three checkpoints that it had erected on the entrances to the city.
The decision to ease the siege came after Israel killed Oct. 25 the leader of the Lion’s Den group, Wadih al-Houh, and after other group members turned themselves in to the Palestinian security services so that Israel would stop pursuing them.
It seems the Palestinian Authority (PA) managed to persuade the gunmen to surrender after Israel’s Channel 12 revealed Oct. 26 that talks were being held between US, Israeli and Palestinian security officials to calm the situation in the northern West Bank.
