Abbas calls Israel raid an unforgivable crime

JERICHO, West Bank, Mar 15 (Reuters) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today called Israel's raid on a West Bank prison and seizure of the leader of a militant group a crime that would not be forgiven.

Across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Palestinians went on strike over an Israeli operation that has boosted interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ahead of March 28 general elections.

Israeli security forces were on high alert after Ahmed Saadat's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Islamist militant group Hamas promised retaliation.

Israeli forces used tanks and bulldozers to tear apart the Jericho jail yesterday to grab Saadat, accused by Israel of overseeing the 2001 assassination of Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam Zeevi claimed by the PFLP.

Speaking during a visit to the destroyed jail, Abbas said the raid was a blow to the Palestinian Authority.

''What happened is an ugly crime which cannot be forgiven and a humiliation for the Palestinian people and a violation of all the agreements. Their arrest by Israel is illegal,'' Abbas told reporters, referring to Saadat and other militants detained.

The Jewish state said the raid sent a powerful message to Hamas, which is forming a government after winning a January parliamentary election.

Israel said it had no choice but to act after the United States and Britain, citing security concerns, withdrew monitors supervising Saadat's incarceration.

Political rivals and newspapers in Israel agreed the 10-hour operation was a success for Olmert, strengthening his security credentials before the election his centrist Kadima party is expected to win.

Abbas appealed to Palestinians not to abduct foreigners or damage international property.

A group of foreigners kidnapped in Gaza in response to the Israeli raid were released on Wednesday.

They included three journalists -- two French nationals and a South Korean -- and a Canadian whose seizure had not previously been known.

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