Jericho handover deal hits stalemate
Israeli and Palestinian security commanders failed to reach agreement today on the handover of the West Bank town of Jericho to Palestinian security control, but decided to meet a second time to try to salvage a deal.
The dispute centres on the scope of the Israeli pullback, particularly whether Israel would remove the main army checkpoint at the entrance of the town. A failure to resolve the differences would deal a significant setback last month’s truce agreement.
Plans to hand over Jericho and a second town, Tulkarem, in the coming days were announced last night after a meeting between Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Israeli forces rarely operated in Jericho and Tulkarem in recent months. The Palestinians want surrounding areas to be included as well, but Israel has balked at removing major army checkpoints on the outskirts of the towns.
Security commanders met for just 20 minutes today to discuss the details of the Jericho handover.
Ismail Jaber, the Palestinian commander, said disagreements remained, and negotiations would continue.
“The Israeli side, it appears, has no clear orders to remove all checkpoints,” Jaber said.
Israeli security officials confirmed the talks had failed but said the two sides would hold a second meeting later in the day.
Israel agreed to turn over five West Bank towns, including Jericho and Tulkarem, to Palestinian control as part of the truce announced at summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik.
The deadlock over Jericho left the fate of Tulkarem up in the air and could spell trouble as the Israelis and Palestinians try to move forward to stickier issues. Jericho, a quiet town far from Israeli population centres, has been relatively calm during the four years of fighting.
Israeli roadblocks are a key point for the Palestinians. Dozens of barriers have limited movement in and out of the towns, strangling social and economic life. Israel says the barriers are necessary for security.
“Without lifting the roadblocks, the handover will be meaningless,” said Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian government official.
