Israel to hand over West Bank towns

Israel will transfer security control over several West Bank towns to the Palestinians in coming days, Israel’s defence minister said today, hours after he met with a Palestinian negotiator to work out the details of Israel’s troop redeployment.

A senior Palestinian security official said the first four towns – Ramallah, Tulkarem, Qalqiliya and Jericho – would be handed over on Wednesday.

The planned handover is the latest sign of rapid changes on the ground. It is accompanied by a rebuilding of trust after more than four years of fighting and a flurry of diplomatic meetings.

Israel has informed Palestinian officials that is ready to withdraw “within a very short period of time” from all West Bank population centres and to return to positions it held before the outbreak of fighting in September 2000, said Hassan Abu Libdeh, a senior Palestinian official. Such a withdrawal is part of the long-stalled US-backed “road map” peace plan, which both sides now say they are ready to implement.

Abu Libdeh said the pullback would include the removal of some of the roadblocks that now ring Palestinian towns and severely disrupt daily life in the West Bank.

Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat, meanwhile, said February 8 is emerging as a target date for a summit between Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a crucial step toward ending hostilities and resuming peace talks. The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, is to arrive in the region two days earlier, for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Abu Libdeh said the summit would be prepared in detail, and that a decisive meeting of Abbas and Sharon aides would be held later this week. “We want a very successful summit that will end with results,” he said.

Palestinian officials said they expect a wide-ranging agenda that will include the declaration of a formal truce, a large-scale release of Palestinian prisoners and the resumption of peace negotiations. Israel, however, appears reluctant to move from security concerns into political matters.

The renewed peace hopes came after a sharp drop in violence. Abbas has obtained a promise from armed groups to halt attacks on Israel, and has deployed Palestinian police across the Gaza Strip. In response, Israel’s army chief said he would halt military operations in Gaza and scale them back in the West Bank.

Today, a 65-year-old Palestinian civilian was killed by Israeli army fire along the Gaza-Egypt border, Palestinian officials said. The military said the man was deep inside a no-go zone, close to an Israeli army post along a patrol road near the border, when troops shot him.

Late last night, Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz met for nearly five hours with Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Dahlan, a former Palestinian security chief, in Tel Aviv to discuss a West Bank redeployment.

“We talked about handing over responsibility, as has started in the Gaza Strip. We believe that in the next few days they will get responsibility over other towns in the West Bank,” Mofaz told Israel Army Radio.

Mofaz also said the Israeli military has changed its rules of engagement. “Wherever the Palestinians operate, and operate effectively, there will be no need for our counter-terrorist activity,” he said.

The minister later told the weekly meeting of Israel’s Cabinet that in the past few days there was a drop of up to 75% in Palestinian attacks.

Dahlan left without speaking to reporters, but Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia described the meeting as constructive. “We hope that when it comes to implementation, it will be positive,” Qureia added.

Palestinian officials said security commanders are to meet tomorrow to work out the details of the handover.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said that Abbas is “very close” to a political agreement with the militants that would include a cease-fire, but added that a formal halt to violence would depend on Israe.

He said Israel must formally accept a cease-fire, withdraw troops from West Bank cities and release some of the 7,000 prisoners it is holding to move forward with the accord.

“There is a temporary cease-fire and we are waiting for an Israeli response,” Shaath told The Associated Press by phone from Syria, where he met government officials and the leader of Hamas. “If Israel reciprocated, the cease-fire will turn from a temporary into a permanent one.”

Shaath said Egypt, a key mediator, has invited representatives of militant groups to Cairo next week to continue the efforts. Four top Egyptian security officials will visit Gaza on Thursday to review the Palestinian police deployment and meet with leaders of militant groups.

Next week, 42 Palestinian police officers will travel to Egypt for training, part of Egypt’s involvement in the planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip this summer.

Mofaz said that Israel was ready to free some Palestinian prisoners, but for now would not ease the criteria for release. This would mean those involved in attacks on Israelis are not eligible. However, Mofaz held out the possibility that the criteria could be changed in the future.

In Gaza, meanwhile, a political rally by Hamas in the Maghazi refugee camp turned violent yesterday. Supporters of the rival Fatah faction opened fire, sparking a melee that injured more than 20 people. The rally was held to celebrate Hamas’ victory in municipal elections in Gaza earlier this week.