JERUSALEM (AP)—The Israeli army on Monday imposed its broadest clampdown yet on the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the occupied territories, sealing the regions for three days to combat a PLO day of protest.

The army also announced it was barring journalists from the territories for the first time in the four months of unrest that have left 119 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier dead.

Under the measure, the 650,000 Arabs in Gaza will be banned from leaving their homes, while the 850,000 Palestinians on the West Bank will be confined to their villages and towns, the army said.

The three-day closure began at 10 p.m. Monday in the Gaza Strip and at 1 a.m. Tuesday in the West Bank, an army statement said.

The restrictions also bar Palestinians from crossing the two bridges over the Jordan River, the army said. Incoming traffic from Jordan will be permitted, however. The orders also forbid Palestinians living in the territories from entering Israel, affecting about 110,000 Arab workers.

The 65,000 Jewish settlers who live in the occupied territories will be permitted to move freely.

In Washington, the State Department criticized Israel for sealing off the territories.

“We regret the decision because of the impact it wll have on commerce, on visits with family members and the press,” spokesman Charles E. Redman said.

On Friday, the department advised U.S. citizens to avoid travel to the areas because of continuing disturbances.

The closure followed a mass arrest campaign aimed at preventing violence Wednesday, when Palestinians mark Land Day, the 12th anniversary of a 1976 clash between soldiers and Arabs over the confiscation of Arab land. Six Palestinians were killed.

The Palestine Liberation Organization has ordered widespread protests against Israeli troops and Jewish settlers.

Israel’s ability to deal with expected unrest on Land Day is viewed as a major test of the military’s muscle to quell the uprising that began Dec. 8.

The closure “stems first from our desire to tell the Arabs ‘You decided on Land Day, so let’s have a confrontation. We’ll see who wins,'” Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin said on Israel radio. “Remember, we have not exhausted every means of control at our disposal.”

Rabin said the measures also were taken to prevent Arabs from the occupied territories from inciting violence among Arabs who live in Israel.

Robert Slater, president of the Foreign Press Association, condemned the measure and said the group was considering legal action. He said the association had rejected an army offer to permit a media pool into the territories accompanied by a military spokesman.

“Pools are meant for when there is no room for huge numbers of people and there is obviously plenty of room for everybody in the territories,” said Slater of Time Magazine.

Israel’s 24-member Cabinet authorized the measures during its weekly session Sunday, Israeli officials said.

“The purpose is to keep the territories quiet. It is not directed specifically against the press, but we don’t want to give the people of the areas any reason for causing disturbances,” said a senior defense ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In addition to the new measures, troops have arrested about 550 Arabs since Saturday, including at least 75 overnight Monday in the Dheishe refugee camp near Bethlehem and the Jabaliya camp in Gaza, the Arab-owned Palestine Press Service said.

Police spokeswoman Ruth Lessinger said security was also increased in Arab areas of Israel, with traffic police summoned for riot duty, all police vacations canceled and 12-hour work days ordered for officers.

She said 4,000 extra police would be ready for mobilization Wednesday and could be taken by helicopter to trouble spots.

Left-wing legislator Gadi Yatziv of Mapam said the restrictions were “the first significant victory of the uprising.”

“The Arabs have managed to force us to take undemocratic measures and the message we will convey on Land Day will be more negative than anything else,” Yatziv said on the radio.

On the political front, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir sharply protested a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and PLO members.