Sharon eases restrictions on Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered the army to ease restrictions on Palestinians amid increasing signs of popular resistance to Israel’s five-week occupation of major West Bank towns.

Israel was also scheduled to turn over around £11m (€17.4m) to the Palestinian finance minister Salam Fayed today, the first of three instalments of tax revenues it has withheld for much of the past 22 months of fighting, both sides said.