Israel hands over second West Bank town to the Palestinians

It is the second of five towns to be handed back to Palestinian security forces as part of an agreement announced at a summit meeting in Egypt last month to end four years of bloodshed.

The handover could help Palestinian officials implement a new directive restricting the carrying of weapons by militants, who insist they will comply only if Israel withdraws from the West Bank towns.

In the six weeks since the summit between the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, violence has dropped considerably, and a truce was declared last week by Palestinian militant groups.

However, suspicions have been raised because not all the confidence-building measures, such as the transfer of the towns and the release of additional Palestinian prisoners, have been implemented.

Adding to Palestinian anger, Israel confirmed yesterday that its government had approved the construction of 3,500 new houses in and around the West Bank’s largest settlement, Maale Adumim, three miles east of Jerusalem, in violation of the "road map" peace plan.

Ahmed Qurie, the Palestinian prime minister, said: "It’s a kind of terror against the peace process and against the Palestinian people."

The Tulkarem agreement was hammered out at two meetings of Israeli and Palestinian security officers yesterday. Colonel Tamir Hayman, the senior Israeli commander, said Palestinian police would be in control of the area as of last night and the main roadblock in front of Tulkarem would be dismantled this morning, completing the process.

"We agreed; we signed. This is good for Israel and for the Palestinians," Col Hayman said.

After the deal was announced, Palestinians celebrated, with masked gunmen firing weapons into the air. Palestinian police watched without taking action.

The main sticking point had been two villages north of Tulkarem, where Israel says the Islamic Jihad cell responsible for a 25 February suicide bombing that killed five Israelis in Tel Aviv operates.

Israel said it would remain in control of the two villages for now, but that contacts would continue over their future, with the intent of handing them over at a later date.

The handover process got off to an unsteady start when talks over the isolated oasis town of Jericho became bogged down for weeks over similar issues. Then, the sticking points were which roadblocks Israel would remove and how much territory the Palestinians would receive.

Difficulties over the first two towns could spell trouble ahead for the other three. Next in line is Qalqiliya which, like Tulkarem, is in a sensitive position on the line between Israel and the West Bank. Bethlehem, just three miles from Jerusalem, is next, to be followed by Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian government.

Israel could raise security concerns at each stage, which would drag out the process. Israel points to more than four years of Palestinian attacks, including 100-plus suicide bombings, to explain its focus on security. Palestinians say the Israeli reservations amount to bad faith.

Mr Qurie said Israel had pledged to hand over the five towns and the areas around them at the February summit, and he accused Israel of "re-negotiating issues that are already agreed upon".