Israel to leave 4 more towns

JERUSALEM - Israel agreed Friday to withdraw from four more West Bank towns, ending weeks of deadlock with the Palestinians over security issues and putting the U.S.-backed peace plan back on track.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan reached the deal at a time when the "road map" peace plan and a Mideast truce seemed in serious jeopardy because of renewed violence that included two Palestinian suicide bombings this week.

It was not clear how much U.S. pressure helped end the dispute over who should make the next move under the peace plan: Israel, which is supposed to pull back from more areas of the West Bank; or the Palestinians, who must dismantle terrorist groups.

Under the agreement reached Friday, Israel would withdraw from the West Bank towns of Jericho and Qalqiliya next week and remove some military roadblocks.

Taking down the roadblocks is seen as a major confidence booster. Israeli checkpoints, set up at the start of fighting nearly three years ago to keep out terrorists, have all but paralyzed life in the West Bank.

Israel would then withdraw from Ramallah and Tulkarem in the last week of August, provided there are no shooting and bombing attacks and the Palestinian security forces begin dismantling terrorist groups, said Shirli Eden of the Israeli Defense Ministry.

The Palestinians have sought a pullback from Ramallah for some time, in part to allow Yasser Arafat some freedom of movement. Israeli travel restrictions have confined the Palestinian leader to his Ramallah headquarters for nearly two years.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 Contact the Times | Privacy Policy Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright