Israel completed its handover of the town of Tulkarm to Palestinian control today and opened a gate to allow traffic flow freely to the rest of the West Bank for the first time in three years.
The transfer of Tulkarm, days after Palestinians regained the West Bank town of Jericho, came after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas won a deal with militants last week to extend a de factotruce.
Israeli and Palestinian commanders shook hands at the metal gate before it was opened to Palestinian vehicles. It was erected shortly after a Palestinian uprising began in September 2000 and had been manned by Israeli troops.
The low-key ceremony ended the handover of security control of Tulkarm, a city of 50,000 people near the Israeli border, which began last night.
Israel had promised to transfer security responsibility for five West Bank cities, but the handovers were delayed by disputes over security.
Israeli officials said they would transfer the West Bank city of Qalqilya, south of Tulkarm, to Palestinian security control next week.
The Tulkarm transfer was delayed by hours due to a dispute over Israel 's insistence on retaining control over three outlying villages.
The handover began last night when Palestinian police took up positions in the city and set up checkpoints.
Israel had withdrawn from Palestinian cities in the West Bank under an interim peace accord reached in 1993.
However, its troops surrounded many West Bank cities, including Jericho and Tulkarm, again following a series of Palestinian suicide bombings against Israelis during the uprising.