Israel kill three Palestinians, symbolic lift of closure on West Bank and Gaza

The Israeli occupation forces said, three days before the al-Aqaba summit which will bring together the US President George W. Bush, the Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, that it had alleviated blocking measures imposed on the Palestinian territories.

This was in a step described by the Palestinian authority as a public relations campaign, especially as the Israeli forces continued their incursions in the West Bank and Gaza and killed three Palestinians and demolished two positions for the Palestinian national security and leveled agricultural lands.

The Israeli army said it has alleviated as from Saturday midnight the total closure imposed on the Palestinian territories.

Col. Shemshon Arble who is in charge of closure issues by the Israeli military administration said that alleviating the blocking "will allow within the few coming days some 25,000 Palestinian workers including 15,000 from Gaza to head for Israel to work." He added that some 8,000 Palestinian traders will be permitted to enter Israel.

A Palestinian security source said the Israeli army permitted only 4500 Palestinian workers from Gaza to head for work into inside Israel, among those who age over 28, out of 11,000 who were permitted to head for Israel in May before Israel totally imposed full siege on the sector.