Israel to quit West Bank towns within days

The announcement came ahead of a breakthrough summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and new Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas which Israel's public radio said had been lined up for February 8.

"The transfer of control of some towns in the West Bank should take place in the next few days," Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz told Israeli radio after meeting with former Palestinian security minister Mohammad Dahlan on the issue.

"We are finalising the details on the choice of towns and an exact date for their transfer," he added.

Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei, whose bureau chief was also present at the talks, described the meeting as "very positive" and said that the talks had also focused on the lifting of roadblocks in the West Bank.

The towns involved in the transfer agreement are said to be Ramallah, Qalqiliya, Tulkarem, Jericho and possibly Bethlehem in the south.

The transfer of control in Ramallah would be of a major symbolic importance, as it now serves as the political capital of the Palestinian Authority.

Israel's willingness to hand over control in important swathes of the occupied West Bank comes after more than 4,000 Palestinian security forces took up positions across the Gaza Strip with orders to prevent rocket attacks by militant groups.

Abbas has already secured an unofficial agreement with armed factions such as Hamas for a "cooling down" period but wants Israel to reciprocate by ending its military operations in the occupied territories and starting to release Palestinian security prisoners.

Israel's official position is that any truce is an internal Palestinian issue but is clearly moving towards meeting some of Abbas's demands.

In the last few days, officials have ordered an end to offensive operations in Gaza and a severe curtailment of lethal operations against militants as well as making positive noises about releasing significant numbers of prisoners.

An announcement on the prisoners is expected to follow an upcoming summit between Sharon and Abbas which Israel's public radio said had been lined up for February 8.

An official from Sharon's office said the meeting would take place during the week starting February 6, but said no specific date had been set.

Abbas met Sharon when he was prime minister under the leadership of the late Yasser Arafat in 2003 but the proposed summit would be the first encounter between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in more than four years.

Like Sharon's government, the US boycotted all contacts with Arafat but Abbas has already received an invitation to the White House from US President George W. Bush.

While no date has been set for their meeting, the summit could well coincide with a visit by the new US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who is due in the region from around February 6.

Abbas is currently in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin whose government is one of the four sponsors of the roadmap peace plan.

The blueprint has made next to no progress since its launch in June 2003 with Israel accusing the Palestinians of failing to meet its obligations to stop violence. The Palestinians in turn point to Israel's continued settlement activity as proof that it is violating the agreement's terms.

Abbas however has repeatedly made it clear since his election on January 9 that he is committed to the project and meeting the Palestinians' commitments.

While attacks by Palestinian militants and Israeli military activity have not completely ceased, the reduction in the last 10 days has been so dramatic to prompt hope among Israelis that the four-year Palestinian uprising is in its death throes.