IDF Spokesperson March 15th, 2009

Beit-Iba Crossing Opened for Free Passage

As a part of the general plan of goodwill measures authorized by the
Minister of Defense, and as a result of the significant decrease in terror
attacks originating from Nablus, a number of steps are being taken in order
to improve the daily life of the Palestinian population in the region.

Today, Sunday, March 15th, 2009, the Beit-Iba crossing, located northwest of
Nablus, which has been operating since 2001, will be opened for free
passage. The process of removing the physical infrastructure will also begin
today. This step is intended to improve Palestinian movement throughout
northern Samaria. The villages of Qusin and Sarra will now be connected to
the Nablus area. The removal of the crossing will also ease passage from
Nablus to Jenin and Tulkarm.

This step is in addition to the imminent removal of a roadblock which was
placed in the village of Sarra, west of Nablus.

In order to ensure the security of the region, a small checkpoint will be
placed near the Palestinian village of Deir Sharaf, northwest of Nablus.
Vehicles will only be checked at random at the checkpoint.

The IDF will continue to operate according to the decisions made by the
political echelon and in accord with security assessments, in order to
further ease the routine life of the Palestinian population in Judea and
Samaria, while continuously fighting terror and maintaining the safety of
the citizens of the state of Israel.