Abbas: PA denies weapon request

JERUSALEM, May 26 (UPI) -- Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' office said Friday it had not requested a weapons transfer from Israel to reinforce its position against Hamas.

Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz agreed to transfer a limited number of weapons and ammunition to followers of Abbas for his protection, Israeli security officials said.

But Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu-Rudeineh denied reports that weapons had been requested, the Jerusalem Post reported.

"There wasn't a single grain of truth in the Israeli reports," Abu-Rudeineh said.

Likud reacted to Israel's decision. "Whoever gives weapons to the authority gives legitimacy to the rest of the world to transfer money to the PA," said Yuval Steinitz, Likud party member in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Israel had not previously taken a position in clashes between Hamas and the Palestinian security forces, which began a week ago.

One security officer was killed and eight members of the Fatah security force were wounded early Friday in Gaza City. The attack was the most recent in a string of gunfights and bombings between the Fatah-controlled and the Hamas-controlled security forces.