Abbas sends more Palestinian police to Hebron

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has deployed an extra 550 soldiers in Hebron, the West Bank’s largest city.

While the stated aim is to reinforce law and order and protect the population, the rival Hamas faction has denounced the deployment, saying it is aimed at strangling Hamas and helping Israel.

The deployment, which was approved by Israel, is the third of its kind in the West Bank in recent months.

Abbas is under pressure to assert control in the territory so that US-backed talks with Israel can progress. His administration has complained about Israeli intervention, saying continued raids in the West Bank undermine his credibility.

There are some 650 heavily guarded Jewish settlers living among 30,000 Palestinians in Hebron.

Copyright © 2012 euronews