Israel's army chief on Friday ordered his troops to halt raids in the Gaza Strip and move against West Bank militants only with his approval, a major policy reversal after more than four years of fighting and a key step toward a truce with the Palestinians.
Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon issued the orders hours after Palestinian police completed a deployment in Gaza, taking up positions in the central and southern areas of the coastal strip to prevent attacks on Israeli targets. Police deployed in northern Gaza last week.
But the fragility of the newfound cooperation between Israel and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was underscored with a victory by Islamic militants in Gaza's first-ever municipal elections.
The results could signal a strong showing for Hamas in parliamentary elections in July, and give the group more leverage in power-sharing negotiations with Abbas, who has coaxed them into an informal cease-fire.
The change in Israel's troop deployment was the latest in a flurry of steps toward ending more than four years of fighting and resuming peace talks.
Top officials from the two sides are to meet in the coming days to discuss the terms for an Israeli pullback from West Bank towns, and a summit between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected in the next two weeks.
Yaalon said Israel would halt military activity in areas of Gaza where Palestinian police have been deployed. Israeli troops will still maintain positions along main roads and near Jewish settlements in Gaza.
He also said arrest raids in the West Bank must be minimized and will require his personal approval. Soldiers would only target Palestinian militants "if there is an immediate threat by active terror cells, and only with explicit authorization" of the army chief, the army said.
Gideon Meir, a senior official at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said Israel is trying to reward Abbas for his efforts to prevent violence. "It's a positive announcement to show the Palestinians that it's worthwhile to act on their own, to take their fate into their own hands and to stop terrorism," he said.
Still, Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said Israel must go further. "We call upon the Israelis to announce a full stop of violence against Palestinians everywhere, to match our commitment to stop violence against Israelis everywhere," Erekat said.
Mohammed Dahlan, a top security adviser to Abbas, said he would meet with Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and other officials by early next week to pave the way for a summit.
Dahlan said the talks would focus on Israeli military withdrawals from five West Bank cities and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Without progress, he warned the summit could be in jeopardy. "The goal is not to simply hold a meeting, but rather to reach positive results that can be seen on the ground," he said.
Hundreds of Palestinian police spread out in the central and southern Gaza Strip on Friday, completing a deployment ordered by Abbas last week to halt attacks on Israeli targets.
Areas of southern Gaza, particularly along the border with Egypt and near a large bloc of Jewish settlements, have been flashpoints of violence. Militants have frequently fired guns, rockets and mortars at Israeli positions, and troops have responded with deadly raids that left thousands of Palestinians homeless. More than 3,000 Palestinians have died in the four years of fighting.
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