Abbas sends forces to north West Bank

By Adam Entous and Wael al-Ahmed

JENIN, West Bank (Reuters) - Hundreds of forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas deployed to the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday for a law-and-order campaign meant to show the government is laying the ground for statehood.

In a campaign dubbed "Operation Smile and Hope", jeeps and buses, which commanders said carried up to 600 security men, arrived in the city in coordination with Israel. Another 150 men already in Jenin, long a militant bastion, will join them.

Washington, whose efforts for a deal on a Palestinian state this year have shown little sign of progress, sees the Jenin push as a chance for Abbas to prove he can rein in militants -- Israel's main condition for implementing a peace agreement.

The deployment of the men, some of whom receive U.S.-funded training in Jordan, coincides with the start of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region on Saturday.

In comments to reporters travelling with her, Rice urged Israel not to undermine the Palestinian security efforts.

"There have to be very insistent efforts to make sure that they are not being undermined," Rice said.

General Diyab al-Ali, head of national security forces in the West Bank, told reporters in Jenin the deployment would lead to a Palestinian state.

"This is our country, our land and we will do our jobs regardless of what the Israelis do until we establish our own state," he said.