Palestinian security finds West Bank weapons cache

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian security forces said on Monday they seized a large cache of weapons belonging to Hamas in the occupied West Bank.

The discovery of the hidden assault rifles, handguns and explosives in a house near Bethlehem was part of a U.S.-backed "law and order" campaign in the territory, where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction holds sway.

Fatah lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas Islamists in fighting in June.

Palestinian leaders have urged Israel to halt frequent raids into the West Bank against militants, saying the operations undermine their own attempts to impose security control.

(Reporting by Mohammed Assadi; Writing by Avida Landau, Editing by Richard Meares)