'Israeli checkpoints to stay in WB'

Zionist regime will not remove the hundreds of checkpoints which have cut the West Bank into hundreds of isolated islands, says its war minister.

Visiting a crossing between the southern West Bank and Israel on Monday, war minister Ehud Barak alleged that the checkpoints block Palestinian fighters and are vital to Israel's security.

The United Nations has condemned Israel's checkpoint system as a type of collective punishment of the entire Palestinian population of the West Bank.

The checkpoints put a chokehold on every major artery through the West Bank, and every minor road and path as well.

No travel is possible for Palestinians in the West Bank, even for short distances, without being forced to wait for hours or even days at Israeli-controlled checkpoints.

Nabil Amr, an aide to Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas, criticized Barak's unwillingness to remove checkpoints and said, "Israel's stated security concerns are just a slogan."

"You cannot punish all of the Palestinians under the umbrella of security," he added.

Palestinians also say the roadblocks have stifled their economy. Many of the projects, funded by foreign governments, have been held up because of Israeli security concerns.