IDF to remove 100 West Bank roadblocks

             In the single largest removal of roadblocks in the West Bank, the IDF announced on Wednesday that by end of week it will conclude the removal of 100 dirt roadblocks throughout the territories. The decision was made by Defense Minister Ehud Barak following the recommendation of OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni, who proposed making the humanitarian gesture to the Palestinians ahead of the upcoming Muslim holiday Eid-Al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Ramadan month. IDF sources said it would be the largest single removal of roadblocks in the West Bank since Israel began easing up restrictions on the Palestinian population. The dirt roadblocks had blocked off main highways from smaller roads that led to dozens of Palestinian villages scattered throughout the territories, military sources said. "This will have a significant impact on the lives of the Palestinians," one officer said. "It will enable them to travel on highways that had been blocked off to Palestinian access for a number of years." Many of the roadblocks are located on roads that connect to Highway 60, one of the main roads in the West Bank, which leads from Jenin in the north to Hebron in the south. Over the past 2 years, the IDF has been gradually reducing its presence in the West Bank in parallel to the continued successful deployment throughout the territory of Palestinian battalions trained by US security coordinator Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton in Jordan. The improving security situation in the West Bank in recent months has also led to a major rise in real estate prices in both Palestinian and Jewish communities, Army Radio reported on Wednesday morning. According to the report, housing prices in Palestinian villages and towns in the West Bank have risen by hundreds of percent primarily because of reduced security check points and the opening of more roads to Palestinian vehicles. (22,11)