Israel to hand over West bank towns to palestinians.

(From Western Daily Press)

Israel will transfer security control over several West Bank towns to the Palestinians in coming days, Israel's defence minister said yesterday, hours after he met with a Palestinian negotiator to work out the details of Israel's troop redeployment.

A senior Palestinian security official said the first four towns - Ramallah, Tulkarem, Qalqiliya and Jericho - would be handed over on Wednesday. The planned handover is the latest sign of rapid changes on the ground. It is accompanied by a rebuilding of trust after more than four years of fighting and a flurry of diplomatic meetings.

Israel has informed Palestinian officials …