Israel hands over first city to Palestinians

JERUSALEM -- Israeli troops took down their Star of David flag, removed a roadblock and handed the town of Jericho to Palestinian control Wednesday, boosting Mideast peace efforts and sending a message to Palestinians that ending the violent uprising is starting to pay off.

However, a last-minute argument over formal handover documents reflected the distrust that has built up during four years of conflict.

Symbolic steps turned practical as Israel removed one of three roadblocks around the isolated desert oasis, allowing free travel to the rest of the West Bank. Israeli soldiers stopped checking cars entering Jericho -- a boost for the town's economy and for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who needs to show he can get results as he seeks to renew the peace process with Israel.

Drop in violence

Violence has dropped since Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared a cease-fire at a Feb. 8 summit in Egypt. Abbas was in Cairo on Wednesday trying to persuade militants from Islamic Jihad and Hamas to formally join the truce.

News and pictures from Jericho, where residents welcomed Palestinian police in clean, dark green uniforms and red berets after Israeli soldiers packed away their flags and weapons, could only strengthen Abbas' argument that violent resistance has played itself out, and agreements achieve more.

Meanwhile, Hamas swept to victory in elections for the Hebron University student council, a sign of the hold the Islamic group has ahead of parliamentary elections in July.

Also in Hebron, Jewish settlers clashed with Israeli police as they smashed a contested building in the volatile town, underlining that Israel will have difficulties controlling its own extremists during its planned evacuation of the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank this summer.

But in Jericho, the atmosphere was optimistic.

"This is excellent, very encouraging," said Jack Hattar, 30, who owns a general store in the town. "Jericho has always lived off outsiders, and now they'll start coming back more regularly, and when they do, business and life will improve for everyone."

While removing its roadblock on the road to Ramallah northwest of Jericho, Israel maintained a presence at the northern and southern ends of the town, checking some cars and people leaving Jericho for any sign of militants.

Jericho will remain off-limits to Israelis for the time being, Israeli commanders said. Before the outbreak of fighting, thousands of Israelis would visit the town on weekends, many drawn by a luxury hotel and casino.

Palestinian police set up their own checkpoint near the casino Wednesday to turn away Israelis. The casino was closed shortly after the outbreak of fighting.

Israel also kept control of a main highway running through Al Awja, a village north of Jericho, while ceding the village itself to the Palestinians.

Palestinian police promised to confiscate illegal weapons and hand back stolen Israeli cars, according to the handover agreement. Israel pledged to consider removing the remaining two roadblocks in a month if the Palestinians fulfill their security obligations.

In a statement announcing the handover, the Israeli military warned that continuing the process depended on "commitment of the Palestinian security forces to a joint fight against terrorist activity."

Jericho has been the starting point for peace processes and confidence-building measures in the past, dating back to 1994, when Yasser Arafat arrived to establish the Palestinian Authority under terms of an interim peace accord.

The town is ideally suited for such steps -- a quiet oasis in the barren Jordan River valley, far from Israeli population centers and relatively free from militants and violence. But even negotiations over Jericho were long, tense and acrimonious, boding poorly for transfer of the other four towns agreed to at the Feb. 8 summit -- Bethlehem, Qalqiliya, Tulkarem and Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian government. Israel is supposed to hand Tulkarem over next week.

Throughout the day, Israeli and Palestinian security commanders met repeatedly to coordinate the Jericho handover. At one point, Israeli and Palestinian officers climbed atop an Israeli watchtower for a better view.

The final delay was over whether an agreement should be signed formally or be sealed with a handshake. In the end, they signed.

Watching the Israelis pack up and the Palestinian police enter their town, Palestinians were hopeful.

"A prisoner living in a cell will always be very glad when the guards open a window," said Issa Saasine, a plastics trader visiting Jericho from Hebron. "Any small improvement is welcome, but more is needed to bring about confidence and stability."

"The point is we are trying to get things back ... gradually, hoping that through peace and negotiations things will change," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who lives in Jericho.