U.N.: Israel dismantles some checkpoints

JERUSALEM -- A senior U.N. official said Israel has dismantled 20 percent of its West Bank checkpoints in the past year.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. humanitarian affairs office in Jerusalem, said Israel has removed 121 checkpoints, but 505 checkpoints and dozens of road obstacles still hinder Palestinian travel.

Israel has said it has removed dozens of roadblocks.

Lazzarini said Wednesday that Israeli officials were also limiting Palestinian access to lands in the Jordan River valley and to farmlands cut off by Israel's separation barrier.