BETHLEHEM, West Bank?Israel will pull out of four more West Bank towns if the Palestinians pledge to stop attacks, Israel’s defense minister said Monday, after his forces withdrew from Bethlehem and nearby Beit Jalla.

The pullback came despite two Palestinian shooting attacks Sunday in which five Israelis were killed.

Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers rumbled out of Bethlehem and Beit Jalla in an operation completed early Monday, the army said in a statement.

Palestinian security officials said they were patrolling positions that Israeli forces evacuated, keeping the peace as called for by a U.S. brokered withdrawal agreement.

The Israelis said it was a test case for withdrawals from parts of four other towns into which Israel sent troops since Oct. 18: Jenin, Qalqilya, Ramallah and Tulkarem.