Israeli army ordered to dismantle checkpoints

Israel’s Defence Minister Amir Peretz said today he has asked the army to dismantle some of the checkpoints that have severely disrupted Palestinian travel in the West Bank, part of a package of goodwill gestures Israel hopes will boost the moderate Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.

Peretz also told parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that he supported the release of some of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners Israel holds, even without a deal on freeing an Israeli soldier held by Palestinian militants.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert indicated that he, too, was willing to free Palestinians before Corporal Gilad Shalit is released.

Olmert had previously rejected any prisoner release until Shalit returned home. But since meeting Abbas on Saturday night, Olmert has softened his position.

Israel hopes a prisoner release, as well as easing travel restrictions, would convince the Palestinian public that Abbas is able to deliver them benefits that his militantly anti-Israel Hamas rivals, who control the Palestinian parliament and Cabinet, cannot.

At Saturday’s meeting, the first between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in 18 months, Olmert offered to dismantle checkpoints and give Abbas tens of millions of pounds in frozen funds.

The checkpoints have carved up the West Bank into separate blocs, making travel more and more difficult and constraining the local economy.

MPs who attended the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee meeting said Peretz told them 59 checkpoints would come down in two stages.

“We must consider easing roadblocks in places where this does not pose a danger,” the Defence Minister told reporters after the meeting.

Peretz gave no timetable for taking down the checkpoints. He has asked the army to decide which checkpoints should be taken down in each of the phases, something that could delay the process because of military opposition to easing travel restrictions.

Palestinians welcomed Peretz’s decision. Although hundreds of roadblocks will still remain, “we still consider this a step in lifting the internal closure in the West Bank”, said Saeb Erekat, a top Abbas aide.

Major General Yair Naveh, Israel’s West Bank commander, has warned in recent internal discussions that dismantling checkpoints would make it harder for the army to prevent suicide bombers from attacking Israeli targets.

Olmert, Peretz and top security officials were meeting today to discuss possible concessions, including a prisoner release, officials said.

Speaking to reporters, Peretz said freeing Palestinians might improve prospects for Shalit’s release.

“Every year there has been a humanitarian release of prisoners” around the Christmas and (Muslim) Eid al-Adha holidays, and the government should carry out a similar goodwill gesture this year, he said.

A spokesman for one of the three Hamas-allied groups that captured Shalit said Egyptian-brokered talks on a prisoner swap had reached an impasse.

“There are no developments in the prisoner exchange talks. I can go so far as to say talks have reached a deadlock,” said Abu Mujahed of the Popular Resistance Committees.

Shortly after Shalit was captured, Israel rounded up dozens of Hamas MPs and Cabinet members in what was widely viewed as an attempt to collect bargaining chips for the soldier’s release.

Today, Israel’s Supreme Court began deliberating a petition by four of the MPs lawmakers against Israel’s decision to revoke their Jerusalem residency.

Israel meted out the unprecedented punishment after the officials refused to renounce their membership in Hamas. Lawyers said they expected the court proceedings to take months.

Also today, Olmert said he would like to renew peace talks with Syria, but insisted that Damascus first end its support of anti-Israel militant groups.

Syria has recently indicated it would like to resume negotiations with Israel. Olmert has rejected the offers, citing Syria’s support for Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas.

“I hope we will be able to arrive at dialogue with Syria at some point if Syria upholds the most basic of commitments, the cessation of violence – the same commitment we demand of anyone we talk to,” Olmert told a meeting of MPs of his Kadima party.

“If Syria agrees to stop the violence, stop its support for Hamas, stop its support for Hezbollah, and sever its appalling connection with Iran, then we’ll be able to engage in a diplomatic process,” Olmert added. “I have no doubt that this is something we want to happen.”

Earlier today, a senior Israeli military intelligence official told the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that Syria’s overtures to renew negotiations with Israel were genuine.

But Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz, head of military intelligence’s research division, said Syria was interested in talks in an effort to boost its international standing, and stopped short of saying Syria was interested in a peace agreement.