Israel has agreed to a series of security-relaxing goodwill gestures towards the Palestinian Authority.
IDF Central District Commander Maj.-Gen. Avi Mizrachi and Civil Administration Head Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai met on Sunday night with PA security chiefs. The Israeli representatives informed their partners of the following series of activities that are to be implemented in the near future.
- 60 blockades of various types throughout Judea and Samaria will be removed.
- Tourists will be allowed to pass through all the passages into Bethlehem.
- 50 Jewish tour guides will be permitted to enter Bethlehem and Jericho.
- The Dahariya crossing, southwest of Hevron, will be open to unfettered Arab traffic.
- Easing of restrictions on PA VIP’s at crossings
- Arab-Israelis will be permitted more freely into Judea and Samaria.
- Opening the Keidar Route, south of Maaleh Adumim, to Arab traffic.
Keidar is a community of some 200 families that belongs to the Gush Etzion Regional Council. There was talk last year of annexing it to Maaleh Adumim, but last-minute fears of international opposition prevented the move. The residents are up in arms at this latest decision, which reverses a decision made some years ago following several terrorist shooting attacks.
Chaim Levy, head of Keidar's secretariat, told Israel National News, "To reopen this road to Arab traffic means danger. This is the road that we fought for, and it was built specifically for us - and now Arabs from Bethlehem and villages near Jerusalem will use it freely. They don't need weapons; they throw bottles, as happened to me from a passing Arab taxi, or just try to push us off the road, as once happened to a 20-year-old girl. Our Regional Council head, Shaul Goldstein, plans to meet with the Central Commander today or tomorrow, but it's hard for me to believe that anything will change. It could be that our only alternative is just to block it ourselves..."
"The IDF will continue to combat terrorism,” the IDF announced afterwards, “together with coordination with the Palestinian elements, in order to maintain the fabric of life and safe routine for the residents of the area and for the citizens of the State of Israel.”