Israel eases restrictions; Islamic militant killed

JERUSALEM -- Israel made it a bit easier for Palestinians to move around the West Bank, pulling back troops and removing checkpoints Monday as part of an effort to patch up a frayed Mideast truce.

But there was also violence: for the second straight day, an Islamic militant with the Hamas movement was killed in the West Bank, this time in a car explosion in Nablus. Palestinians blamed Israel. But Israel, which took responsibility for a killing Sunday, refused to say whether it was behind Monday's attack.

Speaking to Israel's parliament, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the security measures were being scaled back for Palestinians who "want to bring home a crust of bread and bring up their children in peace."

But he warned that if Israeli civilians came under attack, the army "will return and immediately take control."

'Only some small steps'

The Palestinians, meanwhile, said the Israeli moves fell far short of their demand for a complete lifting of a security cordon that prevents almost all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from entering Israel, where many had jobs before the violence erupted a year ago.

"It's a mistake to say that we have reached an agreement with Israel," said Jibril Rajoub, the Palestinian security chief on the West Bank. "The Israelis have proposed only some small steps."

The Israeli moves mostly involve removing roadblocks that have prevented internal Palestinian movement inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip. For now, Israel will remain off limits for most Palestinians, though limited numbers of businessmen will be given permits to enter.

Palestinians consistently cite restrictions on their movements as one of their greatest frustrations. Israel says the rules are necessary to prevent, or at least limit, attacks.

In the West Bank town of Hebron, Israeli troops and tanks pulled out early Monday from two hilltop Palestinian neighborhoods they had seized Oct. 5. The troops moved in to halt Palestinian gunmen firing on Jewish settler enclaves below in the center of town.

Jewish settlers tried to prevent the army pullback, and 23 were briefly detained by Israeli police, some for allegedly assaulting soldiers.

Protesting the pullback, Israel's ultra-nationalist National Union party, a patron of the settlement movement, announced it was defecting from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition government.