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Last update - 09:33 21/09/2007
UN: Israel has added dozens of new roadblocks in West Bank
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent

Despite repeated promises to reduce the number of roadblocks in the West Bank, Israel has in fact added dozens of new ones, according to the United Nations.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this week to remove 24 roadblocks and consider additional alleviations of movement restrictions on the Palestinians. This followed a similar promise to alleviate movement restrictions that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

However, the number of roadblocks has now reached 572, an increase of 52 percent compared to 376 in August 2005, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In the past two months alone, Israel put up 40 new roadblocks, OCHA said.

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Israel did remove a small fence along Road 317, in the Southern Mount Hebron region, doing away with 29 barricades. But OCHA found that 48 new roadblocks, mostly embankments preventing access to various roads, were put up.

Altogether, there are 476 unmanned roadblocks in the West Bank, consisting of concrete cubes, earthen embankments and other barricades blocking roads and exits from villages and towns.

The number of manned roadblocks has also increased, from 86 in July to 96 today, the UN found. Most of them are manned by soldiers round the clock, but some are manned only a few hours a day.

Since April, the defense establishment has refused to provide data about the number of roadblocks. In the past, defense officials said that many of the roadblocks were added to protect settlers, and not only to prevent terror attacks in Israel.

The UN figures do not include checkpoints set up along the Green Line.
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  1.   There is always a good reason for this sort of disconnect 10:05  |  Natallie Durson 21/09/07
  2.   Until The Philistines Cease Their Terror, They Will Suffer 10:06  |  Yishai Kohen 21/09/07
  3.   Wrong formula Natallie 10:29  |  Hubal 21/09/07
  4.   So long as roadblocks save life, they should be there 10:50  |  David Green 21/09/07
  5.   Did they check them over Rosh HaShanna 11:15  |  redmike 21/09/07
  6.   Shows how reliable are the promices of Israel`s government 11:18  |  Petteri 21/09/07
  7.   OUTRAGEOUS 11:31  |  indrajaya 21/09/07
  8.   Abbas has no partner in peace, but then 11:44  |  Labhras 21/09/07
  9.   natalie durson 11:59  |  charles 21/09/07
  10.   Israel - the world`s biggest pack of liars 12:23  |  Clickfool 21/09/07
  11.   What Israel says and what Israel does 12:35  |  Tim 21/09/07
  12.   If they stop trying to Bomb Tel Aviv we`ll stop the Roadblocks 12:43  |  B`Galil 21/09/07
  13.   roadbclocks 12:45  |  rachel simson 21/09/07
  14.   Israel stops suicide bombings by stopping Pals in THEIR cities 12:45  |  Moshe 21/09/07
  15.   and other crimes 13:06  |  Dav 21/09/07
  16.   #12 That`s not what was said 13:07  |  Outsider 21/09/07
  17.   The UN should send Kaddafi to the West bank to evaluate... 13:14  |  Rafa 21/09/07
  18.   indrajaya, what is outrageous is to see... 13:17  |  Rafa 21/09/07
  19.   UN Crap 13:18  |  Brod 21/09/07
  20.   Petteri # 6 13:29  |  ChanahS 21/09/07
  21.   Outsider # 16 13:34  |  ChanahS 21/09/07
  22.   and in the coming days Israel will remove few of them 13:58  |  Tamir Palestine 21/09/07
  23.   Israel has to choose between killings and equality 14:09  |  Tim 21/09/07
  24.   #6 Read your history, the UN is and has always 14:32  |  John 21/09/07
  25.   Israel has to choose between roadblocks and terror 14:51  |  Dani 21/09/07
  26.   I Guess That`s Why Suicide Bombings Have All But Disappeared 14:53  |  Jane 21/09/07
  27.   Israel wants to maintain a state of tension 15:02  |  Tim 21/09/07
  28.   The reduction of terrorist activity show: ROADBLOCKS work. 15:19  |  Vittorio 21/09/07
  29.   Yishai Kohen 15:52  |  Man 21/09/07
  30.   Moshe 15:55  |  Man 21/09/07
  31.   and Palestinians claimed they`ll reduce the qassam firings 16:00  |  Ben 21/09/07
  32.   indrajaya - to the contrary - it`s quite effective 16:13  |  * BEN JABO 21/09/07
  33.   Petteri - Finland 16:14  |  * BEN JABO 21/09/07
  34.   Tim - Toronto 16:17  |  * BEN JABO 21/09/07
  35.   Outsider 16:19  |  * BEN JABO 21/09/07
  36.   # 1 I totaly agree 16:22  |  Kris 21/09/07
  37.   Tim - Toronto 16:25  |  * BEN JABO 21/09/07
  38.   Too Many Ashkenazis in the Government 16:36  |  Double Click 21/09/07
  39.   MORE ROADBLOCKS MAKE A SAFER ISRAEL 16:53  |  HAL TRIPP 21/09/07
  40.   To Ben Jabo 17:09  |  rose 21/09/07
  41.   Roadblocks are a necessity 17:11  |  Ben Gurion 21/09/07
  42.   Natallie, that was cute, but let`s think logically 17:38  |  Denton 21/09/07
  43.   Double Click @ 38 17:51  |  ChanahS 21/09/07
  44.   Tim # 27 Wrong again - for the umpteenth time 17:53  |  ChanahS 21/09/07
  45.   Abbas doesn`t want peace 19:33  |  Paul 21/09/07
  46.   Have you heard of Arabic deception? 19:36  |  Paul 21/09/07
  47.   TO ChanahS #20 19:37  |  Steve Beikirch 21/09/07
  48.   Drowning in their tracks 19:38  |  Paul 21/09/07
  49.   Israel will not remove them! 19:44  |  Paul 21/09/07
  50.   You`re right Tim 20:02  |  tefarsemu et ze? 21/09/07
  51.   Depressing 20:07  |  Esther 21/09/07
  52.   To Yishai Kohen - A little more knowledge... 20:23  |  Dagma 21/09/07
  53.   #24 John and the UN 20:25  |  Janice 21/09/07
  54.   Vicious circle 20:27  |  Esther 21/09/07
  55.   Re #10 `Israel - the world`s biggest pack of liars` 20:30  |  Colin Wright 21/09/07
  56.   Labhras you are right again 20:33  |  Janice 21/09/07
  57.   No Terror - No Roadblocks 20:38  |  Natasha 21/09/07
  58.   BEN JABO 20:40  |  Janice 21/09/07
  59.   Good for Israel 20:42  |  KUTW 21/09/07
  60.   This makes me so depressed. The poor terrorists 20:45  |  KUTW 21/09/07
  61.   ChanahS and roadblocks 20:50  |  Janice 21/09/07
  62.   Roadblocks and checkpoints have alleviated 20:55  |  KUTW 21/09/07
  63.   Beikirch - instant expertise 21:12  |  * BEN JABO 21/09/07
  64.   Rose 40 21:13  |  ami 21/09/07
  65.   new roadblocks 21:15  |  ljf-canada 21/09/07
  66.   Janice 21:19  |  * BEN JABO 21/09/07
  67.   Janice to Chanah S 21:26  |  *BEN JABO 21/09/07
  68.   depressing indeed 21:55  |  r.m. 21/09/07
  69.   BEN JABO 22:04  |  Janice 21/09/07
  70.   West Bank roadblocks 22:18  |  KT 21/09/07
  71.   NO ROADBLOCKS 22:30  |  Brant 21/09/07
  72.   #69 Janice 23:27  |  * BEN JABO 21/09/07
  73.   #70 KT - don`t be so sensitive 23:30  |  * BEN JABO 21/09/07
  74.   Criminal settlers protected by... 00:30  |  Maureen Ann 22/09/07
  75.   BEN JABO .Wiki king 00:57  |  Brittanica 22/09/07
  76.   BEN JABO 01:06  |  Janice 22/09/07
  77.   How to treat Abbas 01:07  |  Mark Lincoln 22/09/07
  78.   tomatoe soup anyone? 02:01  |  zac 22/09/07
  79.   Building a concentration camp 02:23  |  POP 22/09/07
  80.   UN: Israel has added dozens of new roadblocks in West Bank 02:30  |  L. Gomberoff 22/09/07
  81.   Janice 03:19  |  Bill 22/09/07
  82.   hi Janice 03:35  |  Bill 22/09/07
  83.   #74 Maureen Ann - You don`t have the vaguest