Ramallah, Hebron and Beitunia, West Bank - 21 March 2000
Ofer Camp, near Ramallah
1. Wide shot of gate with guard
2. Close-up of Israeli flag
3. Various Israelis and Palestinians looking at map of revised territory
4. Mid shot Israeli and Palestinian representatives with maps of revised territory
5. Close-up of Israeli and Palestinian representatives shaking hands, pull out
Halhoul, near Hebron
6. Truck in street, with Palestinian flag
7. Man putting Palestinian flags on street lights
8. Pull out from Palestinian flag on top of building
9. Mid shot boys walking past bus stop painted with Palestinian flag
Beitunia, near Ramallah
10. Palestinian police entering Beitunia in truck
11. Pan Palestinian police
12. Various Palestinian and Israeli police touring withdrawal area
13. SOUNDBITE: (English) VOX POP Palestinian man
14. SOUNDBITE: (English) VOX POP Palestinian man
15. Mid shot Palestinian police in truck with Palestinian flag
16. Masked man firing into air
17. Various Palestinian men firing into air
18. Palestinian police in street
19. Men hanging Palestinian flag from building
20. Close-up man firing into air
21. Wide shot Palestinian police in street
22. Palestinian men firing into air
English/Nat
Jeep-loads of Palestinian police have rolled into new areas of the West Bank, firing A-K-47 rifles into the air to celebrate an overdue Israeli troop withdrawal that fulfils a key obligation of the peace accords.
Israeli army officers near the city of Ramallah shook hands with Palestinian security officers on Tuesday and handed them copies of maps outlining the handover of 6.1 per cent of the West Bank.
Soldiers placed yellow and brown blocks marking the new boundary, with similar ceremonies taking place near the West Bank cities of Hebron and Nablus.
Israeli army officers and Palestinian security officers met here at the Ofer Camp, near the West Bank town of Ramallah, on Tuesday.
Inside, they studied maps outlining the 6.1 per cent of the West Bank to be transferred from Israeli to Palestinian control before shaking hands.
The transfer gives the Palestinians populated swathes of land abutting cities already under Palestinian control, creating the territory Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat needs for future statehood.
In 5.1 per cent of the West Bank being transferred, the Palestinians are already in charge of civilian institutions but are now also being given security control.
One per cent of the West Bank is going from full Israeli control to full Palestinian control.
The Palestinians had demanded suburbs of Jerusalem, claimed by both sides as their capital, for the withdrawal that was originally to have taken place on January 20.
A compromise gives the Palestinians villages near but not adjoining Jerusalem.
In the town of Halhoul, near Hebron, buildings and street lights were being adorned with the Palestinian flags, while soldiers used yellow and brown blocks to mark the new boundary.
Jeep-loads of Palestinian police drove into Beitunia, where residents set off firecrackers, honked car horns and waved to the police.
This latest handover completes a three-part phase in a series of land transfers under interim peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians, which call for one more transfer of territory.
The residents of Beitunia were clearly pleased that the handover had finally taken place.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
\"I am very happy. I hope to see the rest being... the Palestinian authority take over.\"
SUPER CAPTION: VOX POP Palestinian resident of Beitunia
SOUNDBITE: (English)
\"When we get all the (Palestinian) prisoners we will be completely happy and then the Jerusalem the capital of the Palestinian land.\"
SUPER CAPTION: VOX POP Palestinian resident of Beitunia
Palestinians fired A-K-47 rifles into the air to celebrate the overdue Israeli troop withdrawal that fulfils a key obligation of the peace accords.
Israel wanted to incorporate the transfer into arrangements for a final peace treaty, but the Palestinians refused.
The sides reached a compromise in which they committed to reaching a framework for a final peace treaty in May, with the final interim transfer in June.
Negotiators are to resume talks on the framework agreement near Washington later on Tuesday, with the goal of signing the treaty itself in September.
