The Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that a motorway connecting Jerusalem with Tel Aviv should be opened to Palestinians.

Route 443 cuts across Palestinian areas of the West Bank but the army denied Palestinians access seven years ago following attacks on Israeli vehicles. The court has now given the army five months to come up with new measures to secure the four-lane highway.

The case was brought by Palestinian villages along the road, whose residents have been forced since 2002 to make a lengthy detour in order to reach the nearby city of Ramallah.

The court ruled that freedom of movement is a basic human right and that Israel should do its utmost to ensure that this right is respected throughout the country.