WORLD CAPITAL, March 14, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The Arab League and the pan-Muslim body on Tuesday, March 14, accused the US and Britain of coordinating with Israeli occupation forces to detain the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

"Clearly, there is some sort of coordination," Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa told the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news television by phone.

"This (withdrawal of US and British monitors) raises obvious question marks."

The US and Britain withdrew their monitors from the jail in the West Bank city of Areha (Jericho) where Ahmed Saadat was held minutes before the Israeli raid.

The Israeli army later confirmed the detention of Saadat and five others after having pounded the compound with tank and missile fire through the day.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) also heaped blame on the US and Britain, warning this would escalate "violence and extremism" throughout the world.

"The governments of Britain and the United States bear direct and serious responsibility for what happened in the prison and escalating what took place later," the OIC said in a statement cited by Reuters.

Saadat has been jailed under US and British supervision since August 2002 after the PFLP claimed the 2001 killing of far-right Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi to avenge the assassination of Saadat's predecessor.

Straw said the monitors were pulled out because they faced "an increasing threat to their safety." (Reuters)

The US and Britain defended their decision to withdraw their monitors from the jail before the Israeli operation, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the monitors were pulled out because they faced "an increasing threat to their safety."

He said Britain had earlier Tuesday withdrawn its monitors from the prison because the Palestinian Authority had never met its obligations to protect them.

Straw said he had informed both Israel and the Palestinians of Britain's intention to withdraw the monitors with immediate effect on March 8, as he had been required to do, but did not give a date to ensure their safety.

The foreign secretary said he had considered withdrawing the British monitors last year due to safety fears, but judged that the risk level was just about acceptable.

"The monitors were withdrawn because of concerns for their safety. The Palestinians were informed repeatedly about these concerns," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Jakarta.

The Western observer mission at the prison was a joint Anglo-American operation under British command, he added.

The US spokesman refused to give an explanation why the monitors were withdrawn just minutes before an Israeli raid on the prison which left two Palestinian security guards dead and several injured.