IDF lifts blockades on most Palestinian population centers
By: Administrative Account | Source: Haaretz
November 5, 2003 12:41PM EST

By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service Palestinians hurled two Molotov cocktails at an Egged bus travelling on the Jerusalem-Hebron road on Wednesday, causing no injuries. The bus was only slightly damaged and continued travelling to its destination Also Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces troops found a weapons cache containing mortars, M16 rifles and bullets in an olive grove in West bank city of Hebron. Ealier Wednesday, the IDF announced that it had relaxed the blockades on Palestinian

cities with the exception of Nablus and Jenin. But residents of the West Bank said that few real differences could be seen. The IDF said that Palestinian public transportation service would also be expanded, and that a limited number of permits would be issued for travel in private cars. The decisions were made by the upper echelons of the defense establishment, in the wake of repeated demands by the IDF General Staff to ease the plight of Palestinian civilians. The government intially rejected the demands due to strong opposition by the Shin Bet security service

The IDF said that it had received numerous
warnings about threats in Nablus and that
operations in the area would continue
Wednesday.

"Easing up on the Palestinians is all well and
good, but it takes second place to the security
of the people of Israel," Defense Minister
Shaul Mofaz said at a seminar Tuesday.

At the Surda roadblock north of Ramallah, the
army allowed pedestrians to pass but a physical
barrier remained intact. The crossing was
jammed with hundreds of cars, pedestrians and
donkeys.

Other checkpoints were also still intact, and
the operators of major bus companies in Nablus
and Bethlehem said they still did not have
permission to resume operations.

An IDF spokesman said the lifting of the
restrictions was being carried out in steps. "I
can assure you that people are feeling this
[improvement] as we speak," the spokesman
said.

Meanwhile, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb
Erekat said the IDF had approved the seizure of
Palestinian farmland in the Jordan Valley, not
far from the Israel-West Bank border. The army,
he said, planned to use the land for the
separation fence that Israel is building in an
effort to prevent suicide bombers from entering
Israel. The IDF did not immediately comment.

Erekat said he complained to the United States,
Russia and the European Union - brokers of the
road map peace plan - to intervene.

"The Israeli government is determined to bury
the road map and the vision of a two-state
solution underneath this wall," Erekat said.

Also Wednesday, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom
said Israel was better prepared to foster
diplomatic progress with the new government of
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia than it
had been with that of former premier Mahmoud
Abbas, and that it had plans to quickly and
smoothly make concessions to foster renewal of
peace talks.

IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon caused a media
storm last week when he criticized the
government for having failed to take steps to
ease the plight of Palestinians, thus
effectively contributing to the early demise of
Abbas's brief premiership.

Shalom said Israel was waiting for Qureia to
finish forming his cabinet, and to begin
implementing Palestinian obligations under the
road map, but that it had already formulated
plans to help the new government, if it was
serious about fighting terror.

Shalom said that "talks [with Palestinians] are
underway, there have been a series of
discussions every day for a number of days,
last week... all with the goal of creating the
proper infrastructure for the moment that a
real government is formed."

Shalom said that the "key formula" for success
in renewing talks would depend Israel and the
Palestinian Authority both implementing steps
to ease the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.


He said a PA fight against terror would
significantly curb attacks on Israelis, helping
restore Israelis' sense of security and the
Israeli economy. Israel, for its part, would
pull its troops out of Palestinian cities,
"deal with illegal outposts," and ease curbs on
the Palestinian population.

"What is new, is that today we are better and
more correctly prepared for the establishmnent
of a new Palestinian cabinet. We are ready to
carry out steps quickly and smoothly in order
to create the proper basis" for talks, he told
Israel Radio.

"This time, there are already low-level,
low-profile contacts... with people from the
Foreign Ministry and other ministries. These
contacts have been taking place for several
days."

He said that this week he had convened a group
of officials in his office to prepare a
"positive agenda" ahead of the possibility of
renewal of peace talks, a range of steps meant
to smooth the path to negotiations.

"There is a chance for diplomatic movement, but
as always, this depends on there being a
partner on the Palestinian side."

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