English/Nat
The Israeli Cabinet met on Sunday morning to decide on the next withdrawal from the West Bank.
Despite protests by Jewish settlers, Ehud Barak gave the go-ahead to a handover of 6.1 percent of the West Bank to full Palestinian control, paving the way for the renewal of U-S-brokered peace talks on Tuesday.
VOICE OVER:
The long wait for Israel's promised West Bank withdrawals looks finally to be over after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday gave the go-ahead to redeployment.
The withdrawal of Israeli troops from six point one per cent of the West Bank and the handing over of land to Palestinian control is part of the Sharem El-Shekh agreement.
The deal was implemented in September last year, beginning with the release of 199 Palestinian prisoners.
The handover was also supposed to take place in September but was delayed because of disagreements over the areas to be transferred.
It will bring 42.9 percent of the West Bank under Palestinian rule.
The Israeli redeployment is expected to take place either Monday or Tuesday despite protests from Jewish settlers.
They held demonstrations at major checkpoints near Jerusalem.
The settlers say some of the villages to come under Palestinian control are too close to Jewish settlements.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"You see the houses very close on the road of the Touneah. The Touneah is supposed to this week go over to "A" area under full Palestinian authority which means we're going to have the guns of Arafat right here in these houses right on the main road very close to the main road going down to Modain and Tel Aviv."
SUPER CAPTION: Vox pop Jewish settler
The handover will come just hours before peace talks are due to resume in Washington.
Palestinian and Israeli officials will return to the negotiating table in Washington on Tuesday to try to settle a permanent peace treaty by September.
Among other issues to be discussed will be the plight five million Palestinians who have become displaced or refugees since Israel was established in 1948.
