Israeli forces complete pullout from part of West Bank
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-21 17:14

Unlike Gaza, however, Israeli forces will continue to patrol the area, the military said, as it has not turned over control of the northern West Bank to the Palestinians.

Also Tuesday, a top Palestinian security official announced the Gaza-Egypt border would be opened over the weekend to allow some Palestinians to cross.

Israel shut the Rafah crossing before it withdrew from Gaza last week, saying that people and cargo traveling over the border would be temporarily routed through Israeli-controlled crossings, so it could ensure no weapons or militants entered Gaza.

After the Israeli pullout, the border exploded in chaos, with thousands of Palestinians and Egyptians clamoring over the wall to visit the other side.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that despite the renovations, the Palestinians did not plan to open the crossing in the absence of an agreement with Israel.

However, Palestinian National Security Adviser Jibril Rajoub said the border would be briefly opened over the weekend to allow Palestinians with special needs to cross.

A senior Israeli official said Israel would not object to the temporary opening. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment on policy, said humanitarian concerns were discussed with Egypt, and Israel "would try to accommodate them."

The terminal, once painted the blue and white of Israel's national colors, was being repainted plain white, the "color of peace," said site coordinator, Mohammed al-Aidi. Instruction signs in Hebrew lay on the floor waiting to be replaced. Turkish ceiling insulation and Jordanian aluminum partitions, used to organize travelers, were being installed in place of the Israeli ones.

Scores of workers on ladders were fixing the ceiling. New X-ray scanners were in place. Water and electricity in the terminal were up and running. About 20 computers with Palestinian records waited to be installed, officials said.

Thousands of Egyptians and Palestinians trapped on the wrong side of the border after it was sealed returned home through Rafah in recent days. Busloads of Egyptians were driven out of Gaza on Tuesday and busloads of Palestinians were taken out of Egypt through a border opening.

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