Defense Minster Ehud Barak told visiting Quartet Middle East envoy Tony Blair Monday he will agree to take down a key checkpoint between Shechem and Arab villages. Blair presented the government with a list of several blockades and checkpoints that he wants removed in order to prop up the sagging leadership of Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
The Defense Minister's spokeswoman said, "The removal of the crossing is aimed at easing the lives of Palestinians. But if it will be used for terror activities Israel will reconsider its opening." He previously said he would not take down a roadblock between Ramallah and the Jewish town of Beit El because doing so would endanger Israelis.