Israeli tanks have pulled out of two areas of the Palestinian-ruled city of Ramallah in the West Bank but have stayed near President Yasser Arafat's office.
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Palestinians in the West Bank City of Ramallah. Photograph: Reuters
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Israeli tanks withdrew from two positions where they been posted last week in Ramallah. Tanks remain near Arafat's West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, where the Palestinian leader has been confined for about three weeks.
The partial withdrawal was a slight easing of the blockade that the army tightened on Palestinian cities and towns last week as it increased pressure on Mr Arafat to rein in militants blamed for suicide attacks on Israel.
Israel offered to ease military control over Nablus, the biggest Palestinian city in the West Bank, to give Arafat an incentive to crack down on militants after almost 15 months of conflict. That move has not yet gone ahead.