Tel Aviv  - Israel will seal off the West Bank from midnight Monday (2200 GMT) for the duration of the seven-day Passover festival, which begins Wednesday at sunset, the Israeli military said in a statement.

The closure will remain in effect until Saturday April 18, according to "security assessments," the statement said.

However, persons needing medical assistance will not be affected, nor will humanitarian aid, doctors, lawyers, non-governmental organizations and religious workers, and the commercial crossings will remain open to allow goods to enter the West Bank.

Israel usually seals off the West Bank ahead of major Jewish holidays, for fear militants will cross into Israel to carry out attacks in public places, which are usually crowded.

In March 2002 a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 30 Israelis who were about to sit down to a festive Passover meal in a hotel in the coastal city of Netanya. (dpa)