Israel eases restrictions

Press, 25 January 1988, Page 6

Israel eases restrictions

NZPA-Reuter Tel Aviv Israeli security forces, after four days of calm in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, moved yesterday to ease harsh tactics adopted to crush uprisings in the occupied territories. Army commanders said supervision of troops in the territories would be increased and the use of force restricted, Israeli television reported.

The television said the commanders “decided to ease up on the firm policy introduced into the territories.” The Defence Minister, Yizhak Rabin, last week said the army would rely on “might, power and beatings” to end six weeks of violent unrest in the occupied territories. The military was considering loosening the curfews imposed on Pales-

tinian refugee camps up to two weeks ago, a Army spokesman said. “This is the intention. It is usually decided based on the people’s choosing to live normal lives,” he said. A temporary lifting of the curfews would allow Palestinians to buy food and leave the camps for their jobs, Israeli Radio said. The Army imposed cur-

fews after failing to end the uprising in which 39 Palestinians were killed in the occupied territories. A 24-hour- curfew placed on the A-Tur neighborhood of Arab East Jerusalem was lifted on Saturday night, the police said. The restriction, the first imposed in the area since its capture from Jordan in 1967, followed clashes

there between stonethrowing demonstrators and police. Security was low key during demonstrations by tens of thousands of Israeli Arabs in Tel Aviv' and Nazareth demanding an end to 20 years of military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Police stayed out of sight during a march by 10,000 protesters in Nazareth.