61.   Until security fears recede, people like Jericho resident Issam Mahmoud do not expect the closure to be lifted.

62.   He plans to sleep at the school until the closure is lifted.

63.   He said Peres had also promised to lift the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

64.   Israel began lifting its closure of West Bank towns on Thursday, beginning with Bethlehem.

65.   Israel lifted closures of the Palestinian towns of Jericho and Bethlehem over the weekend in a bid to ease tensions during the Erez talks.

66.   Israel agreed Thursday to start lifting the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip from next week, Palestinian Economy Minister Ahmad Qorei said.

67.   Israel has refused to lift the closure amid a spate of anti-Israeli attacks by Palestinian militants opposed to the peace process.

68.   Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin announced here Sunday that his country would lift the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in stages, starting on Tuesday.

69.   After talks with Arafat ahead of the summit here, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin announced the closure would be lifted gradually starting Tuesday.

70.   An Israeli television report said the closure might be lifted early next week, but a military spokesman could not confirm it.