Jerusalem: Israel and the Palestinians have resumed high-level security talks after a week which saw some of the worst bloodshed in the 32 months of Palestinian uprising.

Following the high-level security talks between the two sides on June 14 night, which went on for three hours at a venue in the West Bank town of Ramallah, the Israeli Defence Establishment is preparing to withdraw from the Northern Gaza strip, Army radio reported on June 15. Israel would also handover security control to the Palestinians following talks.

The resumption was realised after the US pushed for it and was the first public contact between the two sides since the escalation in violence over the past week after American President George Bush launched the road map at Aqaba summit in Jordan two weeks ago.

The Israeli side was represented by Israeli Defence Force (IDF) Major General Amos Gilad, co-ordinator of government activities in the territories and Palestinian authority minister responsible for security affairs Mohammed dahlan.

During the meet, Gilad told Dahlan that violence by Palestinian militants had to be stopped and before Israel could begin withdrawing from the occupied territories.

He reportedly also warned that should a terror attack originate from an area where Israel had withdrawn, the Army would go back in and take over the area again.

PTI