Israel pledges to remove roadblocks

[David]

AP


JERUSALEM - Israel has pledged to remove 50 West Bank roadblocks as part of a package to improve everyday life for Palestinians, U.S. officials said Sunday.

The officials, traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said Israel and the Palestinians also have agreed that Palestinian security forces in the West Bank must assume "greater responsibility."

Israel maintains hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints in the West Bank. Israel says the measures are needed for security. But the Palestinians say the restrictions are stifling their economy.

The new steps were announced Sunday after Rice met with Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak, and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

The U.S. says the latest agreements "will improve the daily lives of Palestinians and help make Israel secure."