Israel May Leave Tulkarm This Week

Israel will hand over the West Bank town of Tulkarm to Palestinian control this week, a senior Palestinian commander said Sunday after the resumption of security talks.

Israeli and Palestinian commanders met Sunday for the first time since a deadly Feb. 25 bombing in Tel Aviv -- claimed by militant group Islamic Jihad -- that led Israel to halt the talks and freeze the planned hand-over of five towns and the release of 400 prisoners.

Before the bombing, which killed five people, the two sides had planned for Israeli troops to first withdraw from Jericho, an isolated town in the Jordan River valley. But the two sides failed to agree on how much territory would be involved.

The senior Palestinian participant in Sunday’s talks, West Bank commander Hajj Ismail Jabber, said that “it was agreed in principle that the Israeli army will begin Tuesday withdrawing from Tulkarm and the areas around the town, and afterward we will discuss the Israeli withdrawal from the other towns in the West Bank.”

Israeli officials confirmed that the issue was discussed at a meeting held “in a good atmosphere.” But a Defense Ministry official said that no date for a hand-over had been set.

Also Sunday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Hani Mulki met Israeli leaders, the first such visit in more than four years. Jordan recently named an ambassador to Israel after leaving its embassy vacant through most of 4 1/2 years of fighting between Israel and the Palestinians. Mulki met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, his first deputy Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and called for intensive peace efforts.

Shalom will visit the U.S. this week, for talks he says will focus on Syria and Lebanon.