Carter has reduced security in Israel

JERUSALEM, April 15 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is receiving reduced security protection during a visit to Israel, with each side blaming the other for the reduction.

Israel's Shin Bet security service, overseen by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office, normally helps protect visiting dignitaries but has not assisted U.S. Secret Service agents guarding Carter, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.

During a visit to Sderot Monday, Carter was flanked by U.S. agents, while Israeli police provided an escort and guarded the perimeter of the sites he visited.

An Israeli official said officials received no request for Shin Bet protection, which he said was automatically extended to incumbent presidents or prime ministers but not to former leaders, the Tribune said.

Carter's delegation said it was told "unequivocally" by the lead agent of Carter's Secret Service detail and the U.S. State Department regional security officer that "an official request for assistance had been made" to the Israelis.

Carter's scheduled meeting Friday with Hamas senior leader Khaled Meshaal in Damascus, Syria, has been met with displeasure both in the United States and in Israel.