Palestinians get Jericho in handover ceremony

ISRAELI troops handed the quiet West Bank town of Jericho to Palestinian security control yesterday, dismantling checkpoints and easing travel restrictions in what was seen as a message to ordinary Palestinians that an informal truce is starting to pay off.

The formal handover ceremony was delayed because of confusion over whether the protocol should be signed or sealed only with a handshake.

The Palestinians insisted on a signature, and the Israelis said that meant they would have to show the document to a legal adviser.

Finally, officers from both sides returned for the signing ceremony at a liaison office on the outskirts of Jericho.

Jericho is the first of five West Bank towns to revert to Palestinian control in coming weeks, part of an attempt to restore the situation that existed before the outbreak of fighting in September 2000.

As part of the pullback, two other barriers are to remain in place during a month-long period in which the ability of the Palestinian forces to keep calm will be tested. The Palestinians had insisted that all checkpoints be removed but accepted the compromise.

Palestinians found it difficult to believe their lives are going to improve.

“A prisoner living in a cell will always be very glad when the guards open a window,” said Issa Saasine, a plastics trader visiting Jericho from the West Bank city of Hebron. “Any small improvement is welcome, but more is needed to bring about confidence and stability.”

In the past four years, Israeli troops have rarely entered Jericho, a farming and resort town that has largely stayed out of the fighting.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, a resident of Jericho, said the handover of the town is the first step in returning to the situation before the outbreak of fighting on September 28, 2000.

“The point is we are trying to get things back ... gradually, hoping that through peace and negotiations things will change,” he said.

Maj Sharon Assman, an Israeli army officer involved in the handover, said it was now up to the Palestinians to keep militants in check and ensure calm.

“There will be additional meetings to consider additional easings of restrictions. This will depend on ... guarantees of the Palestinian security forces that they will fight terror,” he said.

As part of the handover, 17 Palestinian fugitives in Jericho were taken off Israel’s wanted list.

The fate of two top militants jailed under international supervision in Jericho, including the mastermind of the assassination of an Israeli cabinet minister, remains unclear.