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PA Reinstates Virus Restrictions in Hebron, Nablus

Palestinian protesters pray at their lands during a demonstration against Israel's plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in the village of Hares near the northern West Bank city of Salfit, 19 June 2020. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
Palestinian protesters pray at their lands during a demonstration against Israel's plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in the village of Hares near the northern West Bank city of Salfit, 19 June 2020. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
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PA Reinstates Virus Restrictions in Hebron, Nablus

Palestinian protesters pray at their lands during a demonstration against Israel's plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in the village of Hares near the northern West Bank city of Salfit, 19 June 2020. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
Palestinian protesters pray at their lands during a demonstration against Israel's plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in the village of Hares near the northern West Bank city of Salfit, 19 June 2020. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH

The Palestinian Authority has reinstated coronavirus restrictions in the West Bank following a spike in infections.

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Saturday that a closure and five-day curfew have been imposed on Hebron and that the city of Nablus would be cutoff for two days to contain the spread of the virus.

The actions came after 86 Palestinians tested positive for the COVID-19 disease in the West Bank Saturday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases there to 687, including two deaths.

The government, which controls parts of the West Bank, reopened quarantine centers, stepped up restrictions on movement and limits on gatherings, and called on Arab residents of Israel to stop visiting the territory for 14 days.

In the Gaza Strip, 72 confirmed virus cases and one death have been reported. They all came from inside mandatory quarantine facilities for returnees through Israel and Egypt.

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Switzerland Lifts Economic Sanctions on Syria

A drone view shows the Syrian central bank, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 16, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the Syrian central bank, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 16, 2024. (Reuters)
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Switzerland Lifts Economic Sanctions on Syria

A drone view shows the Syrian central bank, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 16, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the Syrian central bank, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 16, 2024. (Reuters)

Switzerland said on Friday it will lift a raft of economic sanctions imposed on Syria, including the Middle Eastern country's central bank.

After the toppling of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, targeted sanctions against individuals and entities linked to the former government will still remain in place, Switzerland's governing Federal Council said.

"The aim of this decision is to promote the country's economic recovery and an inclusive and peaceful political transition," the council said in a statement.

After an initial easing of sanctions in March, Switzerland is now lifting restrictions on the provision of certain financial services, trade in precious metals and the export of luxury goods, the government said.

Some 24 entities including the central bank of Syria have also been removed from the sanctions list, it added.

The announcement follows the EU's decision to lift its economic sanctions on Syria at the end of May after a similar move by the US Treasury Department in the same month.