Israeli troops have completed their withdrawal from Jenin, the first West Bank town to fall under Palestinian self-rule as the result of an agreement signed in Washington in September.
Israel moved up the withdrawal by a week to demonstrate its continued commitment to the peace process in the wake of the Nov. 4 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
On Monday, as Israeli troops left the building that had served as their headquarters, thousands of cheering Palestinians lined the streets to welcome buses bringing an advance guard of Palestinian police to the town.
A Palestinian flag was raised at the former army headquarters. At a gas station on the outskirts of the city, Israeli and Palestinian officers shook hands to mark the formal transfer of power.
Israel began its withdrawal from Jenin on Oct. 25. Located in the northern West Bank, the town has some 40,000 Arab residents.
Maj. Gen. Ilan Biran, commander of the region that includes the West Bank, said joint Israeli and Palestinian police patrols would begin operating in the area this week.
Israel Radio quoted a senior Palestinian police official as saying that the Israeli redeployment from the West Bank town of Tulkarm would begin next week with the opening of a liaison office.
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