Israel to Cut West Bank Roadblocks
Source: BBC News
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Israel has stated their willingness to remove around fifty roadblocks in the West Bank in return for a promise made by the Palestinians to increase their efforts in preventing terrorism. The compromise came about after US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, met with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem to “reenergize peace negotiations.” After talking with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, both “agreed on concrete steps to implement the road map.” In addition to removing the roadblocks, Israel has also agreed to reduce the waiting time at checkpoints, without compromising security. The roadblocks to be removed were not specified; however, it was made clear that they would be “points of special immediate emphasis.” Furthermore, six hundred Jordanian-trained security members (loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas) will be granted the right to deploy to the northern West Bank city of Jenin in order to work toward the prevention of Palestinian terrorism. There are also plans for new Palestinian housing settlements in twenty-five villages of the area. Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, also stated that, “her government was prepared to act ‘to ease the lives of the Palestinians’ in the West Bank.” She also supported the idea of offering compensation to those Palestinians who choose to leave the West Bank voluntarily.
This agreement between Palestinian and Israeli officials further supports the ongoing peace process between the two groups. By removing the roadblocks, the Israelis are acknowledging the fact that Palestinians deserve to be treated fairly, and should be granted the right to travel through their homeland easily and freely. In return, the Palestinians are stating that they will do everything they can to cut back on terror attacks, signifying that violence is not the way to negotiate a pace process. This affects many of the Middle Eastern countries, especially the ones housing Palestinian refugees. By removing roadblocks and taking steps towards a more peaceful Israel and West Bank, many refugees may be interested in returning home, and those that wish to leave the West Bank may now be compensated. Jordan is being recognized for their country’s aid to the Palestinians, and the US is slowly, but surely, attempting to accelerate the peace process between the two groups. Most importantly, however, this negotiation gives Palestinians living in the West Bank hope that they will be able to travel without daily hassles and time-occupying roadblocks and checkpoints.
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Even if they’re willing to remove the roadblocks, construction of a gigantic wall around the West Bank still continues. It doesn’t really seem like the road map is actually being implemented.
How might Israel go about reducing the waiting time at checkpoints without compromising security? Wouldn’t reducing the time mean that less checking was going on?