Farouk al-Kaddoumi, head of the Political Department of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), said on Tuesday that the United States and Britain should take responsibility for Israel's siege and raid of the Jericho prison.

According to an agreement between the Palestinians and the parties concerned, the Jericho prison on the West Bank should be guarded by U.S. and British security personnel. The siege and raidof the prison came shortly after the British and U.S. monitors left the jail.

The Israeli army must have had contact with the monitors before taking actions, Kaddoumi said, adding it was a brazen aggression targeting Ahmed Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Fouad Shoubaki, financial adviser to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Kaddoumi called on the United Nations to stop Israel's aggression and organized terror against Palestinian people and their leaders.

The Israeli army stormed the West Bank prison Tuesday night and detained Saadat and Shoubaki.

Israel has accused Saadat of ordering the assassination of Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi in 2001. He has been jailed since August 2002.

Shoubaki has been accused by Israel of involving in smuggling of arms to the Palestinian Authority several years ago.