Israel starts to hand West Bank to PLO

RAMALLAH (Reuter) - Israel signed over the Ramallah school district to the Palestinian Authority, giving the PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, his first formal foothold in Israeli-occupied parts of the West Bank.

The Israeli head of the education department handed over responsibility for 150 government-run schools in Ramallah and surrounding villages to Naim Abu al- Humos, the director of education in the Palestinian Authority.