U.S. commends Israel for removal of IDF roadblocks

[Gimel]

The U.S. has recently commended Israel for fulfilling its commitment to remove roadblocks in the territories to ease the Palestinians' freedom of movement. The Israel Defense Forces has removed about 100 roadblocks in the last month, and Palestinian officials told the Americans conducting a field investigation that they feel the improvement.

The removal of roadblocks was one of four commitments Israel made to the American government. The other three are evacuating illegal outposts, limiting settlement construction to built-up areas, and unfreezing hundreds of millions of shekels in Palestinian Authority tax money.

Outpost evacuation, which Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared he would carry out in the June 2003 Aqaba summit, remains the most difficult problem. American ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer is close to reaching an agreement with Baruch Spiegel, the defense minister's adviser, on how many outposts must be evacuated. According to the defense establishment, 23 illegal outposts have been established in the West Bank since March 2001.

After an agreement is reached, the U.S. will expect Israel to evacuate the outposts, but will not intervene in the evacuation itself. The U.S. stands firm on its demand that the outposts be removed, American Middle East envoy Elliott Abrams clarified in his talks with officials in Israel over the weekend.

Continued...