Israel to hand over second West Bank city

Israel Radio, quoting Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, has reported that a second West Bank city is to be handed over to Palestinians…

Israel Radio, quoting Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, has reported that a second West Bank city is to be handed over to Palestinians tomorrow.

Israeli security sources said Israeli and Palestinian officers would meet later today to finalise details of the troop pullback from Tulkarm.

Israel handed the West Bank city of Jericho to Palestinian security control last Wednesday.

Meanwhile Israel banned its citizens from moving into four Jewish settlements in the northern West Bank in a bid to prevent more opponents of a planned pullout from flocking to the area as new settlers.

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The order, "prohibiting the relocation of Israeli citizens into the four West Bank communities", was issued by the military following media reports that hundreds of ultranationalists were planning to flock to the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the northern West Bank to block the pullout this summer.