Jerusalem- Israel has agreed to remove four checkpoints in the
occupied West Bank, Tony Blair, the envoy of the Middle East Quartet -
the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -
said Tuesday.

The first of the four - near Hebron - would be removed this week,
and conditions at eight others would be eased, he told a news
conference in Jerusalem.

The former British premier said that Israel has also agreed to give
the Palestinians security control in the northern West Bank city of
Jenin, where some social and economic projects are slated to begin. (dpa)