Israel has completed its handover of security control of the town of Tulkarem to Palestinian forces.
Israeli troops opened a 10-metre-high gate which had remained locked almost continuously since September 2000.
The Israeli pullback from the town comes days after the handover of the town of Jericho as part of an Israeli promise to withdraw its forces from five West Bank towns and cities.
The move, which was agreed on the eve of a peace summit in Cairo last month, is a gesture to the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.
The process has been delayed by disputes over the details of the withdrawals and by a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv last month.
Israel is expected to hand over control of the town of Qalqilya next week.
