RAMALLAH — The Israeli forces Sunday opened a road near the West Bank city of Nablus after 13 years of closure, a Palestinian official said. Nablus Governor Jibrin Al-Bakri said the Israeli army opened the road that connects the villages of Yanoun and Awarta to the southeast of Nablus. Al-Bakri said that the 7.2-km road has been closed by the Israeli forces since the outbreak of the second Intifada in 2000 under the pretext that Palestinian militants opened fire on Jewish settlers. He added that the passengers were forced to use alternative roads during the last 13 years to reach their destinations. The governor said the two villages that connect with the city of Nablus are home to some 6,200 residents. The opening of the road will enable the residents to reach some 40,000 of agricultural lands, he said. “The reopening of the road came after intensive talks the Palestinian Authority made with Israel to lessen the suffering of the Awarta and Yanoun's residents,” he said. Al-Bakri said that the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works will reconstruct the road in the coming days due to the damage caused to it by the Israeli forces. The Nablus area, which includes the city, three refugee camps and 15 villages, has a population of over 200,000. It has been under the tight siege for several years. Entry and exit was possible only via the checkpoints that surround it. Crossing the checkpoints entails stringent checks of persons, vehicles and goods in both directions. The Palestinian Authority controls the West Bank, but people moving between the cities and villages are required to pass through Israeli checkpoints, especially when entering C areas where Israel has security and administrative authority. The PA- controlled A and B areas make up nearly 38 percent of the West Bank. In a separate development, the Israeli army arrested 11 Palestinians in the town of Beit Fajjar, to the south of Bethlehem. Palestinian security sources said that the 11 were arrested because they were “wanted” for the Israeli internal intelligence Shin Bet. The sources said that the Israeli soldiers carried out a thorough search in their houses. The Israeli Army Radio said that the 11 were taken to unknown locations for questioning by Shin Bet agents. According to the recent Palestinian statistics, Israel is holding 4,900 prisoners in 23 prisons and detention camps in Israel and in the West Bank of whom 198 children, 8 females, 14 members of Palestine Legislative Council. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had repeatedly said the Palestinians will not sign any final peace agreement before Israel shuts down all its prisons and releases all the Palestinian prisoners, which were rejected by Israel.
