Israel opens West Bank roadblock to commercial traffic

Hebron: Israel opened a roadblock in the occupied West Bank to commercial traffic on Thursday.

The checkpoint between the Hebron and a commercial crossing point into Israel will open for trucks for six hours a day, but private vehicles will remain banned.

The move will reduce travel time between Hebron and the crossing by 25 minutes, residents said.

Israel has come under much international pressure to remove some checkpoints, roadblocks and obstacles to Palestinian movement in the West Bank, which hurt Palestinian economic development.