ISRAEL: SECURITY OFFICIALS RECOMMEND EASING WEST BANK CLOSURE
(3 Jul 1996) English/Nat Top army officers are reportedly recommending that Israel ease its four-month closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Signs of a move to ease the closure were supported by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he did not favour plans to build a separation zone between Israel and the West Bank. But while there were signs of more relaxed border controls, Israeli troops launched a major operation against illegal Palestinian workers. Israeli soldiers checking identity cards at the Bethlehem checkpoint. The four-month border closure has cost the Palestinian economy more than 300 (m) million U-S dollars. Now there are signs the shut-down may be eased. Top security officials, including Israel's minister in charge of police, have reportedly recommended that Israel significantly ease the closure barring Palestinian workers from Israel. Relaxing the closure imposed on the Palestinian self-rule areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip would ease economic hardships in the autonomous areas. High rank security officials are also expected to tell Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that easing the closure might discourage support for extremist groups among Palestinians. The closure has stopped nearly 70-thousand Palestinians going to work in Israel. Palestinian officials welcomed the Israeli proposals and said it was a useful measure. SOUNDBITE: "I think that economic denial, economic siege, economic closures, and so on, it does definitely lead to frustration, and frustration does lead to political tension, and political tension, it does lead to radicalism." SUPER-CAPTION: Mohammed Eshtayyeh, head of PECDAR - Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Construction But signs of a softening of Israeli policy were accompanied by tough action. Israeli police on Monday backed up by jeeps and helicopters conducted a massive sweep of Palestinian workers who cross illegally into Israel. Army checkpoints are set up on major roads to stop Palestinians from entering Israel without permits. But side roads are mostly unguarded, and many Palestinians cross into Israel from West Bank villages through fields and woods. Only 25-thousand Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip have permits to work in Israel - down from 60-thousand before the territories were sealed off four months ago. More than 100-thousand worked in Israel before the government began imposing restrictions two years ago. In the crackdown, Monday, police checked workers' identification. Those without the proper documents were arrested and had their fingerprints taken. They can expect fines of up to a thousand shekels (U-S 320 dollars) and a possible prison sentence. Israel's newly elected prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says sealing off Israel was not part of his political agenda. SOUNDBITE: But I have said on more than one occasion that our policy towards the Palestinians is one of openness and the closure was something that was forced upon Israel in many ways by the deteriorating security conditions. We'll judge the security conditions and we'll conclude or we'll decide on the closure policy accordingly. SUPER CAPTION: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party are believed to be opposed separating Israeli and Palestinian areas since they view this as an unwelcome step towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
