U.S. accuses Syria of inciting Israel border clashes

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110516/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel

U.S. accuses Syria of inciting Israel border clashes

Mon May 16, 2:08 pm ET

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) – The White House accused the Syrian government

on Monday of inciting deadly border clashes between Israeli troops and

Palestinian demonstrators, saying Damascus was trying to distract attention from

its own violent crackdown on protests.

White House spokesman Jay Carney expressed regret for the loss of life in

confrontations on Israel's frontiers with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday but

said the Jewish state " has the right to prevent unauthorized crossing at its

borders. "

" We urge maximum restraint on all sides, " Carney told reporters on Air Force One

as President Barack Obama flew to Tennessee.

Israeli troops opened fire at three separate border locations to prevent crowds

of demonstrators from crossing, killing at least 13 people.

Syrian media reports said Israeli gunfire killed two people after dozens of

Palestinians infiltrated the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, along a

front line that has been largely tranquil for decades.

The White House put the onus on the government of Syrian President Bashar

al-Assad for the violence that broke out on the Israeli-Syrian border.

Carney said the administration was " strongly opposed to the Syrian government's

involvement in inciting yesterday's protests in the Golan Heights. "

" Such behavior is unacceptable and does not serve as a distraction from the

Syrian government's ongoing repression of demonstrators in its own country, " he

said.

" It seems apparent to us that this is an effort to distract attention from the

legitimate expressions of protest by the Syrian people, and from the harsh

crackdown that the Syrian government has perpetrated against its own people, " he

added.

The Obama administration has tightened sanctions on senior Syrian officials to

try to pressure Damascus to halt its crackdown on pro-democracy protests, but

international human rights groups have criticized Washington for not taking

stronger action.

(Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Beech)