U.S. praises Israel for easing West Bank restrictions

In an apparent effort to ease tensions that have been aired publicly through the press, the U.S. State Department on Thursday praised Israel's lifting of restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank.

State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly said the U.S. was appreciative of Israel's "positive steps" in easing Palestinian freedom of movement in the territories.

Relations between Israel and the United States have been strained in recent weeks over Washington's demand that the Netanyahu government declare a total freeze on all settlement construction in the West Bank.

A Paris meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama's envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, was canceled earlier this week after it became clear that the two sides would not be able to bridge the gaps on the settlement issue.

Netanyahu announced earlier this week that he would dispatch his defense minister, Ehud Barak, to Washington in an effort to reach a compromise with American officials on the settlements issue.

Israel plans to limit military operations in four Palestinian cities to try to boost a Palestinian security campaign supported by Washington, Israeli and Western security sources said on Thursday.

The move coincided with attempts by Netanyahu to persuade Obama to soften his demand for a total freeze in settlement building in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israeli and Western sources said the Israel Defense Forces would refrain from entering Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho and Qalqilya, except in cases where the army believed Palestinian militants were poised to attack Israelis. The move stops short of a full withdrawal from these towns.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced yesterday that the Israeli authorities had somewhat eased travel restrictions for Palestinians to and from four cities in the West Bank: Jericho, Ramallah, Nablus and Qalqilyah.

However OCHA also said that the Israel Defense Forces claim that there are only 16 manned roadblocks in the West Bank is incorrect. According to OCHA there are 69 manned roadblocks.