RAMALLAH, Nov 7: Israeli tanks pulled out of Palestinian-ruled Ramallah on Wednesday, but remained in two other West Bank towns, despite pressure from the United States as it tries to shore up its war alliance.

Israeli forces have now left four of the six Palestinian towns they entered last month after the murder of a far-right minister. They are widely expected to leave the other two towns soon.

But Israel still has crippling blockades on many Palestinian areas and the tanks redeployed just outside Ramallah, a major commercial hub 20kms north of occupied Al Quds, which includes President Yasser Arafat’s West Bank headquarters.

The United States has demanded a withdrawal from all six towns and called for an end to 13 months of Israeli-Palestinian clashes in efforts to bolster Arab and other Muslims’ support for its offensive in Afghanistan.

In fresh violence on Wednesday, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian taxi driver during an exchange of fire with Palestinian fighters in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian witnesses said.

Palestinian hospital officials said Mohammad Kaskin, 26, was shot in the back.

The Ramallah pullout went ahead despite fighting on Tuesday in which five Palestinians and an Israeli soldier died.

Hundreds of Palestinians marched through Nablus in a funeral procession for three guerillas killed near the West Bank town after a gunbattle. Israel said the men died in the gunfight.

Speakers called at the funeral for Arafat to abandon a shaky truce with Israel.

“If things continue as they should, there is a good chance of restoring the peace process,” he told reporters in Paris after meeting French counterpart Hubert Vedrine.

Tanks, armoured personnel carriers and jeeps rumbled out of northern and western Ramallah under cover of darkness.—AFP