Jerusalem,June 01: Israel began lifting blockades on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, setting stage for a three-way summit between US President George W Bush and Israeli and Palestinian Prime Ministers. As a step towards implementing confidence-building measures Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised to undertake after his Thursday meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz lifted the closure late last night after holding a series of telephone consultations, Isareli media reported.
An army statement said the Israeli Government had approved the lifting of the blockades of the occupied territories to begin at midnight yesterday (2100 GMT). Army sources, however, said that despite the lifting of the blockade, which was most recently imposed earlier in May after a wave of suicide bombings, troops would remain in the Palestinian areas.
Meanwhile, Israel has rejected an American suggestion that at Wednesday's summit in Aqaba, Sharon declares his aspiration for an "end to occupation," 'Ha'aretz' daily reported, adding, Washington had asked Sharon to declare the evacuation of illegal outposts. Bureau Report