Defense Minister Ehud Barak refused a request Monday morning from Quartet Middle East envoy Tony Blair to remove a roadblock between PA-controlled Ramallah and the Jewish town of Beit El. He said that doing so would endanger the lives of the Jewish residents who live nearby. Unfettered access to the area would make it easier for terrorists to reach Jewish towns in Judea, Samaria as well as urban centers in pre-1967 Israel.
In the afternoon, however, it was announced that he agreed to dismantle a key security checkpoint strategically located between Shechem, known in the area as "terrorist central," and nearby Arab villages.
The checkpoint is used to monitor the flow of terrorist activities, materials and weaponry in the area as well as prevent the entry of attackers and illegal PA aliens into pre-1967 Israel. The two security points were among a list of travel and trade restrictions that Blair has asked the government to remove.
The former British Prime Minister, who now works for the US, Russia, European Union and United Nations (which comprise the Quartet), argued that the checkpoints and other security restrictions are damaging to the status of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).
A spokeswoman for the Defense Ministry said, "The removal of the crossing is aimed at easing the lives of the Palestinians. But if it will be used for terror activities Israel will reconsider its opening."
Two More Terrorists "Escape" PA Prison
Three terrorists "escaped" from the PA prison in Jericho Sunday night. All were reportedly Fatah members of the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) terrorist organization. According to local sources quoted by the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency, the three left to protest their living conditions.
Prison police chief Khaled Abu Kamel later told the foreign AFP news agency, "People escape from prisons all over the world. We are investigating."
There have been numerous instances of such "escapes" from PA jails by terrorists in the past.