Israel's Barak promises to make life easier for Palestinians, but not to remove checkpoints

Israel will soon begin making life easier for West Bank Palestinians but won't remove checkpoints for now, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday, despite pleas from Palestinian leaders and the international community to ease the travel restrictions.

Visiting a crossing terminal between the southern West Bank and Israel, Barak said Israel would soon take steps to expedite movement through the hundreds of checkpoints and roadblocks Israel has built in the West Bank.

Israel sees the barriers as a key element of a military policy that has dramatically reduced Palestinian attacks in recent years. But Palestinians counter that the roadblocks humiliate …