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Mon, Aug 30, 2010 | IDF Spokesperson

Checkpoint at Tarqumia in the southern West Bank. (Mel Frykberg/IPS)

Recent Easing of Measures in the West Bank, 30 Aug 2010

The following is a comprehensive list of recent measures taken to improve the quality of life for West Bank residents, as well as for Gaza Strip, Jewish, and Arab residents wishing to enter the West Bank. Along with easing measures during the current Ramadan period (including the increased issuance of permits to enter Israel and the Temple Mount), measures have been taken that have led to positive changes in the West Bank throughout the past year including:

* Since the beginning of 2010, 60 roadblocks have been removed. 16 checkpoints remain in the West Bank, all of them regularly open.

* Road number 443 has opened for Palestinian traffic.

* 50% increase since 2009 of permits issued to enter Israel.

* In the first half of 2010, there has been a 15% increase for Palestinian patients receiving medical treatment in Israeli hospitals. 82,058 of these permits were issued; 14,675 of which were issued for children.

* 11% increase of the number of trade permits issued for entry to Israel. In the first half of 2010, 22,910 trade permits were issued, compared to 20,503 trade permits issued during the same period last year. 500 additional permits were issued to merchants to enter Israel.

* 78% increase in vehicle imports to the West Bank in the first half of 2010 compared to the first half of 2009.

* 2.7% increase in the al-Quds stock market index for the first half of 2010, while unemployment decreased by 3% in the first quarter of 2010

* 3,000 housing units were built for a new city in the Ramallah district.

* 6 Palestinian Security Forces battalions and 150 civil defense personnel have been coordinated for special training in Jordan.

* There have been regular joint meetings between heads of the Palestinian Security Forces and the IDF Central Command. In addition, there have been joint Israeli and Palestinian police and firefighters’ meetings.

The full report is viewable below: