Wednesday, January 26 2005 20:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ramallah (West Bank): Palestinian security forces will take over control in five towns and cities in the West Bank from the Israeli Army within the next 10 days, a senior Palestinian security official said today (Jan 26, 2005).

The agreement was reached during talks in Jerusalem between senior political officials, including Palestinian negotiations Minister Saeb Erakat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's top advisor Dov Weisglass, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The Palestinian forces would be given responsibility for security in Ramallah, Qalqiliyah, Tulkarem, Jericho and one other town, which will be decided upon at a later round of talks.

"We are ready to resume responsibility in these cities or in any other parts of the West Bank," the official added.

Israel has already effectively handed over security control in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority where thousands of members of the various security branches have been deployed with orders to prevent anti-Israeli attacks.

The first phase of deployments in northern Gaza last week have been seen as so successful that a second phase was approved for the south of the territory in a meeting on Wednesday morning.

Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has already said that troops are only present in Palestinian areas of the West Bank in order to prevent attacks.

He was quoted as saying by the Israeli media today that troops should have left all Palestinian areas by the end of the year.