U.S. chides Israel for curbs on Palestinian forces

NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - The United States has complained to Israel that it is undercutting the ability of Palestinian forces to exert security control in parts of the occupied West Bank before a U.S.-sponsored peace conference.

Israel seized body amour from the Palestinian Presidential Guard and conducted raids in the city of Nablus despite the deployment of Palestinian forces there, sparking private protests from the Bush administration, Western officials said.

Building up a Palestinian force capable of providing security and preventing militants from attacking Israel is a key part of a U.S.-backed push to revive peacemaking and meet Israeli security demands for ending its occupation.

The officials said Washington had asked the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Richard Jones, to deliver a complaint about the raids, which took place on Wednesday and earlier this week in the city's restive Balata refugee camp.

A U.S. embassy spokesman had no immediate comment.

Some U.S. and Palestinian officials saw the Balata raids as attempts by Israel to undermine the credibility of Palestinian security forces less than a week after their deployment in the city, a frequent flashpoint between Israel and militants.

BODY ARMOUR

Officials said the Israeli army seized 86 of 95 sets of body amour from the Presidential Guard on Saturday. The amour was being transported between West Bank cities at the time.

The tension arose between Israel and the United States over the Nablus deployment less than a month before a conference on Palestinian statehood is due to open in the United States.

The deployment was a key component of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's efforts to bolster West Bank security and reopen stalled peace talks with Israel.

Fayyad deployed more than 300 members of his National Security forces in Nablus on Friday, calling it a starting point for a broader campaign to restore law and order.

He plans to back up those forces with up to 300 members of the Presidential Guard, the Palestinian Authority's best trained force, Western officials said.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will not implement peace agreements with the Palestinians until they meet their commitments under a stalled "road map" peace plan to crack down on militants in Nablus and other cities.

Israel defended the Nablus raids. "We're not yet at the stage where we're stopping our activities against terrorists," said Miri Eisin, Olmert's spokeswoman.

(Editing by Andrew Dobbie)