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Last update - 19:47 21/08/2008
Israel removes West Bank roadblock outside Ramallah
By Reuters
Tags: Palestinian, Israel 

Israel, under international pressure to ease restrictions on Palestinians, removed a roadblock in the West Bank on Thursday that had curbed movement outside the central Palestinian city of Ramallah.

The move came ahead of a planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice next week to continue to push Israelis and Palestinians to pursue talks Washington has hoped could lead to a peace deal by the end of this year.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesman said soldiers had been instructed to remove concrete blocks and a checkpoint where soldiers inspected traffic leading to Bir Nabala, a town near Ramallah, where the Palestinian government is situated.
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It was the third such checkpoint Israel has removed this month, meeting requests from the U.S. and the Quartet's Middle East envoy Tony Blair to help peace moves and to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Western-backed government.

Tawfiq Nabali, head of the Bir Nabala village council, said the checkpoint that was lifted had restricted movement for more than 50,000 Palestinians living in 15 villages near Ramallah.

"We welcome any step in which the Israeli occupation leaves us alone, living in dignity without checkpoints and racism," Nabali told Reuters.

Palestinians say hundreds of Israeli roadblocks erected over the last eight years in Palestinian territory stifle their economy and amount to collective punishment.

Israel, which placed most of the barriers after a Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000 when peace talks failed, says the measures are necessary to prevent suicide bombers and terrorists from infiltrating its cities.

Related articles:
  • Israeli-Palestinian paper criticizes 10 W. Bank roadblocks
  • IDF experts suggest 'surprise' roadblocks in place of checkpoints
  • Israel to remove roadblocks in W. Bank 'slowly and gradually'
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      1.   Roadblocks appear to save lives 21:06  |  Andrew 21/08/08
      2.   An acceptance of reality by olmert livni and barak 22:29  |  Arie 21/08/08
      3.   How many Jews will now die by another stupid Olmert move? 22:42  |  bat yam 21/08/08
      4.   Occupation and Colonization destroys lives 22:46  |  Ibrahim 21/08/08
      5.   Makes mathematical sense to me! 00:13  |  utagawa 22/08/08
      6.   oh please 00:35  |  Sarah 22/08/08
      7.   HOPE the Shahidas looking for heaven & a lifetime pension 03:11  |  PETER SM 22/08/08
      8.   Not stated: 06:25  |  Mark Lincoln 22/08/08
      9.   one state solution 19:51  |  dd 22/08/08
      10.   Not stated.... 08:49  |  Palestinian Brit 23/08/08
      11.   what about the other 599 roadblocks? 11:15  |  raymond deane 23/08/08
      12.   securing the borders 21:50  |  Fair 24/08/08
      13.   the exact info 21:51  |  Fair 24/08/08
      14.   How awfully kind of the IDF 22:20  |  Cynic #2 24/08/08
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