Watchdog group: Only two W. Bank roadblocks lifted recently

Only two of the 24 roadblocks that Israel claimed to have removed recently were in fact removed; many never existed to begin with, the Machsom Watch watchdog organization said Tuesday.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Israel had removed 24 West Bank roadblocks in order to bolster the Palestinian Authority by making life easier for Palestinians.

However, Machsom Watch activists conducted their own check and concluded the following:

* While the army reported removing 11 dirt roadblocks around Hebron, most of them never existed to begin with.

* Three dirt roadblocks near Salfit also never existed; the same is true of two roadblocks between Al-Abed and Anabta, near Tul Karm.

* The checkpoint near Herodion, which was also on the list, was actually removed two years ago.

* At the Jitt Junction near Kedumim, two roadblocks were supposedly removed to allow pedestrian (but not vehicular) traffic through the junction.

However, Machsom Watch said, pedestrian traffic is still not being permitted.

The organization noted that since the Israel Defense Forces refused to give it the list of removed roadblocks, it relied on information from a third party that obtained the list from the IDF.

No response was received from the IDF spokesman by press time.

Last month, Barak told American officials that Israel has lifted 24 dirt roadblocks and one permanent obstacle on West Bank roads in an effort to make it easier for Palestinian civilians to move in the area.

He said that the roadblock changes were being made without publicity, as was common in the past.

Barak also told the American officials last month that Israel is weighing a series of measures that would make it easier for Palestinian businessmen and traders to conduct business.