Israel eased the blockade on Palestinians ahead of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, whose trip to jumpstart the roadmap for peace was marred Sunday by the killing of an Israeli settler in the West Bank. Powell, also due to hold talks in the West Bank town of Jericho with newly sworn-in Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas, kicked off his lightning visit to promote the roadmap Saturday by telling both sides: "Let us get started now." Unveiled on April 30, the roadmap is a three-phase international peace plan designed to end to the 31-month intifada, resume neogitiations and pave the way for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel by 2005. But Powell warned against any delays to implementing the peace plan in what appeared to be an allusion to Israeli insistence that it be allowed to make changes to the document. "People can comment on the roadmap as we move forward but let's not allow any comment period that might be upcoming, to stop us from moving forward," he said. Israel announced Sunday it was lifting the total closure of the Palestinian territories, but there was no indication how much freedom of movement Palestinians would be given as a result of this largely symbolic gesture. The measure was expected to affect only the movement of Palestinians inside the territories, allowing them to travel between reoccupied cities and surrounding villages rather than authorising them to cross into Israel. The first chapter of the three-phase document says Israel should immediately freeze settlement activity and withdraw to pre-intifada lines, but Israel has already indicated it will not pull troops out as long as Palestinian attacks continued. Israeli public radio also said Sharon would announce the release of Palestinians detained by Israel whose prison terms were coming to an end. Meanwhile, Powell is expected to urge Abbas to deliver on his pledge to disarm Palestinian groups and curb the clashes. Despite Powell's insistence on the United States' reinforced commitment to promoting peace in the region, many commentators were skeptical on his visit's impact and did not rate the roadmap's chances highly. In an editorial entitled "Maximum Interest, Minimum Action, the daily Haaretz argued that the roadmap -- whose publication was the result of months of political wrangling between all the parties involved -- was already "disappearing from the diplomatic discourse". "Powell wants to push Abu Mazen into fighting terror and get reciprocal gestures from Ariel Sharon... For this reason, the administration wants to demonstrate involvement, but is leaving the responsibility to the two sides," the newspaper explained. Meanwhile, the 31-month-old Palestinian intifada continued, when an Israeli settler was killed in a Palestinian drive-by shooting attack near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ofra, Israeli police said. Three homemade rockets fired from the northern Gaza Strip landed near the town of Sderot in southern Israel's Negev desert early Sunday, without causing injury or damage, an Israeli military spokesman said. The Israeli army also continued its controversial policy of house demolitions in the Gaza Strip, destroying three in the southern Khan Yunis refugee camp during a brief incursion, Palestinian security sources said. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Palestinians men argue with Israeli soldiers during an Israeli curfew in the West Bank town of Hebron, May 10, 2003. Palestinian leaders have accepted the 'road map' peace plan, envisaging a Palestinian state by 2005 after confidence-building steps by both sides. Israel has demurred on security grounds and continued a military clampdown despite U.S. calls for restraint. REUTERS/Loay Abu Haykel