The IDF removed two more roadblocks Sunday night near the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Ramallah, located next to the Jewish community of Beit El, in Samaria.
The move came less than a day before the Jordanian plane carrying Pope Benedict XVI touched down at Ben Gurion International airport for a five-day visit to Israel and the PA territories.
One of the roadblocks was located near the village of Ras Karkar. The other was formerly placed at the entrance of the village of Ein Yabrud. The removal of both opens access to the city of Ramallah from villages to the east and west.
According to a statement issued by the IDF, the roadblocks were removed as part of the "relief plan" authorized by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi.
The plan includes the opening of a number of central roads and the removal of checkpoints, especially in the areas of the Samarian PA cities of Ramallah, Shechem and Tulkarm, as well as the Judean mixed Jewish-Arab city of Hevron.
"These steps improve the overall Palestinian quality of life," commented the IDF Spokesman, "allowing for increased freedom of movement." He added in the statement that as part of the plan, more than 140 security checkpoints have already been removed throughout Judea and Samaria in the past year.