Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian bystander in a sweep for militants yesterday, witnesses said, a day after Israel announced it would ease West Bank blockades to boost Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurie.

Emtiaz Abu Ras, 38, was shot as she peered from a window of her house at troops who pursued and opened fire at a Palestinian in an alley in the West Bank city of Nablus, witnesses said.

The Israeli army said Wednesday its armored forces would reduce their presence in and around West Bank cities except for Nablus and Jenin, bastions of Islamist militants. But there was no intention to remove a network of checkpoints and roadblocks.

Army chief Moshe Yaalon jarred Israeli leaders last week by saying clampdowns drive Palestinians toward militancy and undermine Qurie, who wants peace talks but is locked in a power struggle with Yasser Arafat delaying creation of a new cabinet. The Palestinian president and Qurie are divided over the appointment of an interior minister and delegation of security powers key to any efforts to end three years of violence and revive a stalled US-backed ?road map? to peace.