Israel eases border restrictions

Minor clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers took place in the West Bank

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel has said it will ease restrictions on Palestinian territories due to a decline in the number of attacks in recent days.

Israel said the decision was made because there had been a "significant reduction in the number of attacks" on its citizens.

Borders would re-opened to allow Palestinians to return home from Egypt and Jordan, the Israeli Defence Ministry said. Goods would also be allowed in and out of the territories.

The restrictions were imposed after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Tel Aviv disco Friday, killing himself and 20 other people, most of them teenagers.

Meanwhile, scattered gunfire and clashes injured several people in the West Bank on Tuesday -- despite an apparent truce between Israelis and Palestinians.

Confusion surrounds the ceasefire agreement, with the military wing of militant Islamic group Hamas and its political leaders differing on their position regarding the ceasefire.

Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat called the ceasefire on Saturday, leading Israel to hold off retaliation for the suicide bomb.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar rejected an earlier announcement by the military wing that the ceasefire would be respected.

The military wing had issued a joint statement with Arafat's Fatah group Monday saying the ceasefire would be respected.

In a bid to make the ceasefire work, the U.S. has sent its CIA director to the Mideast.

President George W. Bush said George Tenet would negotiate security co-operation between Israelis and Palestinians.

Tenet will fly to Amman, Jordan, to meet with U.S. assistant secretary of state William Burns, before traveling to Israel and the Palestinian territories, according to one State Department official.

"In some ways, you could say he's assisting Ambassador Burns, and Burns has the overall context of achieving those steps of ending the violence and working on the timelines for confidence-building measures and getting back to peace talks," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Tuesday

Officials say Tenet will not meet with Arafat or Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, but with security officials on both sides.

Tenet has "received assurances" that Palestinian security chiefs, who had previously boycotted the talks, would attend, and that Israel would permit their movement for the talks, officials added.

Tenet will hold separate meetings with each of the parties before bringing them together for further discussions, the officials said.

Diplomatic efforts were also being made by other countries.

Russian envoy Andrei Vdovin met Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres on Tuesday, and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer was in Egypt and Jordan seeking help to stabilize the cease-fire that followed his personal appeal to Arafat.

Israeli officials acknowledged the relative calm, but said Israel still wants Arafat to arrest those involved in planning suicide bombings and to put an end to anti-Israel incitement.

"No doubt some positive steps have been taken, but I would say, necessary but insufficient," said Raanan Gissin, an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Associated Press reported.