31.   Israel announced Monday it was significantly easing a closure barring Palestinian workers and goods from reaching Israel.

32.   Israel announced Tuesday that it would ease the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip Tuesday and allow thousands of Palestinians to reach jobs in Israel.

33.   Israel began easing the closure last month after repeated appeals by PLO chief Yasser Arafat.

34.   Israel had just begun to ease the closure when another suicide bombing killed eight people Thursday in a Jerusalem pedestrian mall.

35.   Israel has eased the closure this week but tens of thousands of Palestinians remain cut off from jobs in Israel.

36.   Israel promised Saturday to ease a closure imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip and allow thousands of Palestinian laborers to reach jobs in Israel.

37.   Israel released some of the millions of dollars in tax refunds it owed the Palestinians and eased its closure of the West Bank and Gaza.

38.   Israel, meanwhile, announced Saturday it was easing the closure slightly to allow diplomats and workers of international organizations to cross into its borders.

39.   ISRAEL-CLOSURE, Israel eases closure on West Bank and Gaza.

40.   Israel eased the closure a day after the State Department called on Israel to release tax revenues due to Palestinians.