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Israel to remove roadblocks in West Bank

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-17 02:29

Israel Defense Force (IDF) has begun removing 100 roadblocks in the West Bank, the army announced Wednesday.

The removal is expected to be completed within the following days, ending by the Eid ul-Fitr holiday next week, IDF said in a statement, adding that this would improve traffic between rural areas and villages to the central transportation arteries in the West Bank.

"The decision is a continuation of the government policy to improve the economic situation in the region while maintaining the operational flexibility of the Israel Defense Force and security forces," said the statement.

IDF sources told local daily The Jerusalem Post that it would be the largest single removal of roadblocks in the West Bank since Israel began easing up restrictions on the Palestinian population.

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"It will enable them to travel on highways that had been blocked off to Palestinian access for a number of years," an IDF officer was quoted as saying.

However, hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints still exist across the West Bank, which the Palestinians say significantly impede both their movement and the development of the Palestinian economy.

The international community, including Israel's closest ally the United States, has been urging the Jewish state to lift the traffic limitations imposed upon the Palestinians and facilitate their economic growth.

Early this month, Israel's Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom held talks with Palestinian Economy Minister Bassem Khoury on economic issues, which is deemed as the highest level of bilateral meeting since the current Israeli government took office in April.