JERUSALEM, March 15: Israel had received advance word from the United States that foreign monitors were preparing to withdraw from a West Bank prison which Israeli forces raided on Tuesday to seize Palestinian militants, US officials said.

Militants and the Arab League have accused the United States and Britain of colluding with Israel by withdrawing the monitors from the Jericho prison to clear the way for the capture of Ahmed Saadat and five other militants jailed there.

The United States said it was not part of any plot. But officials said Washington had given Israel a copy of a March 8 letter it sent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas saying monitors could be withdrawn at once unless security conditions were met.

Israel launched its surprise raid on the prison minutes after U.S. and British monitors abandoned the building.

A day-long Israeli siege resulted in the capture of Mr Saadat and sparked attacks on U.S. and British buildings by angry Palestinians and several kidnappings of foreigners.

Israeli Major-General Yair Naveh said there had been no coordination with the United States and Britain, but that Israeli forces began preparing for the raid weeks ago, after learning that international monitors planned to leave.

Gen Naveh said Israel conducted observation missions and pre-positioned enough forces in the area to mount the raid at short notice.

In the March 8 letter, the United States and Britain told Mr Abbas that the monitors would be withdrawn ‘with immediate effect’ unless the Palestinian Authority (PA) addressed their concerns.

They also expressed concern that Hamas militants, who won Palestinian elections in January, would free Mr Saadat and the other prisoners after forming a new government. Mr Abbas had also said publicly he would be prepared to free Mr Saadat.

“The pending handover of governmental power to a political party that has repeatedly called for the release of the Jericho detainees also calls into question the political sustainability of the monitoring mission,” the letter said.

Mr Saadat was the leader of a Palestinian faction accused of killing an Israeli minister in 2001.

He was jailed in Jericho in 2002 under a US-brokered deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority that called for the United States and Britain to monitor them. —Reuters