The Israeli military on Saturday announced it was sealing off the occupied West Bank for 72 hours from midnight for celebrations marking the 62nd anniversary of the Jewish state.

"The closure will come into force at midnight (21:00 GMT) and will last until midnight on Tuesday," a military spokesman told AFP. "Only humanitarian cases and journalists will be authorized to enter Israel," if they have permits.

The celebrations in Israel will begin on Sunday and end on Tuesday. They will mark the creation 62 years ago under the Hebrew calendar of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948.

Since the start of the second intifada in September 2000, the West Bank has been subject to a security lockdown through which just a few thousand Palestinians are allowed to enter Israel every day.

(Alarabiya.net English)