Israel to ease Palestinian blockade

The Israeli defence minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, has outlined measures that will ease the blockage of Palestinians for a month-and-a-half.

Workers above the age of forty who are married and have children are being allowed to enter Israel to pick citrus fruits.

They will be transported in special convoys to do their work and returned to their homes.

A six month blockade on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza strip has prevented about one-hundred-thousand workers from going to work in Israel.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service