Nic Robertson: Cleanup begins in Ramallah

CNN's Nic Robertson

(CNN) -- The Israeli military said Sunday it had pulled its forces out of parts of the West Bank town of Ramallah, although tanks and troops continued to surround Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound.

CNN correspondent Nic Robertson reports that Ramallah residents are eager to resume their lives after the Israeli forces' pullout.

ROBERTSON: Palestinians in the town of Ramallah wasted no time [Sunday] morning. As soon as it was clear -- daylight came around 7 a.m. here -- people began to go out on the streets.

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And we saw people opening up their businesses, sweeping out broken glass in some areas and clearing out the refuse that had been piling up in the streets and other areas. People [are] really pouring out on the streets very quickly, trying to get their lives back to normal here.

Around the area of Yasser Arafat's compound, to the north of Ramallah -- that still remains under tight Israeli army security. Downtown, the military checkpoints that had been there are all gone.

Residents who are close to Yasser Arafat's compound tell us that in their neighborhood ... that they still have a curfew, that they are not allowed out of their homes.

And what we saw [Sunday] morning inside Yasser Arafat's compound -- three Israeli army tanks, a number of armored personnel carriers and a tight security presence there. The reason for that, the Israeli government says, is because inside Yasser Arafat's compound, there are men they want to charge with the death of an Israeli minister [Rechavam Ze'evi], the minister of tourism, last year.

And until those men are handed over, [the Israelis] say, they will continue to guard Yasser Arafat's compound and not allow him or the other people in there with him out.