BETHLEHEM, West Bank?Israeli forces pulled out of two West Bank towns Sunday, despite a shooting attack by Palestinian militants at a northern Israeli bus stop that killed four people.

Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers left the biblical town of Bethlehem and nearby Beit Jalla in an operation that was completed early Monday, the army said in a statement. Palestinian security officials said they were patrolling positions Israeli forces evacuated, keeping the peace.

The shooting attack in Hadera, carried out by two members of the Palestinian security forces, and a drive-by shooting earlier in the day that killed an Israeli soldier had thrown the pullback into question, with Israeli officials demanding a cease-fire before they would withdraw.