Israel presses ahead with West Bank operation as election approaches

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military pressed ahead Sunday with a massive military operation in the occupied West Bank that has displaced hundreds of Palestinians and placed major restrictions on movement in response to a gun attack last week that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others.The operation, focused on the city of Hebron, the site of Friday's attack, came as Israel enters the final days before a tense election, which is largely seen as a referendum on current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and security policies during the past three years of war.In new measures, the army said that most Palestinian workers with permits will not be allowed to enter Israeli West Bank settlements on Sunday and Monday, and crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Israel’s elections on Tuesday.The military said it operated in more than 400 different locations over the weekend and arrested 40 Palestinians it claimed were affiliated with the Hamas or Is