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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, acting on a pledge to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, approved the removal of more than two dozen military checkpoints in the West Bank that have severely restricted Palestinian movements.

Mr. Olmert also said Monday that Israel would take immediate steps to improve the flow of goods in and out of the Gaza Strip. The main crossing point there has often been closed this year, stifling commerce in the impoverished coastal territory.

The Israeli moves are part of a package of concessions Mr. Olmert presented to Mr. Abbas when the two leaders held talks Saturday night, their first official meeting since Mr. Olmert became Prime Minister early this year. Israel says it is trying to support Mr. Abbas, who is from the Fatah movement, in his power struggle with Hamas, the radical Islamist group that controls most of the Palestinian government.

While the gestures point to the prospect of improved relations between the leaders, the Israelis and the Palestinians still have many smaller issues to deal with before they are likely to consider resuming full-fledged peace talks, which broke down almost six years ago.

The first step will be to increase the volume of goods passing through crossings linking Israel and the Gaza Strip. The Karni crossing, the main terminal for supplies going to and from Gaza, has been closed for days or weeks at a time in the past year. While food, medicine and other essentials are allowed into Gaza, Palestinians say it has been impossible to conduct normal commerce. Hundreds of tons of Palestinian agricultural products rotted because they could not be exported from Gaza.

Israel has cited security concerns for closing the crossing, which has been attacked several times in recent years.

In the second stage of Mr. Olmert's plan, Israel's military will remove 27 West Bank checkpoints, though Israeli officials did not give the exact locations or say when that will happen.

Taking down checkpoints on heavily travelled main roads inside the West Bank could remove, or at least reduce, a source of great frustration there. Palestinians say they can easily spend an hour or more in line daily when making relatively short commutes to jobs and schools within the West Bank.

Israel's security forces have put up more than 500 checkpoints, roadblocks, dirt barriers and other obstacles in the West Bank, according to United Nations monitors. The barriers not only keep Palestinians out of Israel but also make it difficult for them to travel from one area to another inside the West Bank.

In Saturday's meeting, Israel pledged to hand over $100-million (U.S.) in tax revenue that it had been withholding from the Palestinians. Mr. Olmert's cabinet approved the transfer on Sunday. The money is expected to be turned over to Mr. Abbas soon and is to be used for Palestinian humanitarian needs.

Hamas responded by saying Israel should hand over all of the roughly $500-million it has withheld since Hamas came to power in March.

In addition, Hamas says the money should be sent in the traditional way, to the Palestinian Finance Ministry, to be spent as the Palestinian government sees fit, not as mandated by Israel.

Israel and Western countries classify Hamas as a terrorist group and have refused to send money to the Hamas government, though these countries are willing to work with Mr. Abbas, who seeks a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mr. Olmert is also considering the release of some Palestinian prisoners before the Muslim holiday of Id al-Adha, which begins this weekend. But any such release is expected to be relatively small, perhaps numbering just a few dozen.

Israel says it is prepared to release a larger number, perhaps several hundred or more, when the Palestinians free an Israeli soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was captured in June and taken to the Gaza Strip.

New York Times News Service