* Palladium on track for worst weekly fall since late January * Platinum, silver heading for biggest weekly gain in five weeks * GRAPHIC-2017 asset returns: tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl (Updates prices; adds trade and Fed comments, second byline, NEW YORK datelines) By Marcy Nicholson and Zandi Shabalala NEW YORK/LONDON, May 19 Gold rose on Friday and was on track for its best week in five as the dollar softened on political turbulence in the United States, boosting bullion's safe-haven appeal. Spot gold was up 0.6 percent at $1,253.87 an ounce by 2:47 p.m. EDT (1847 GMT), putting it up 2 percent for the week. U.S. gold futures settled up 0.06 percent at $1,253.60 "We have political turmoil in the U.S. which has driven the dollar lower... this week's sentiment has supported gold," Danske Bank analyst Jens Pedersen said, adding that it was unclear whether bullion would hold on to the gains into next week. Gold is often seen as an alternative investment during times of geopolitical and financial uncertainty, gaining alongside bond yields and the yen while stocks usually take a hit. U.S. President Donald Trump last week fired Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey. This triggered a political firestorm that culminated on Wednesday in the Justice Department's appointment of a special counsel to probe possible ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was poised for its worst week in more than a year while world stocks edged up. "Political risk is back on again after market participants became overly complacent following the outcome of the French elections," Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch said. "Risk sentiment took a major hit," he said. New applications for U.S. jobless benefits unexpectedly fell last week and the number of Americans on unemployment rolls tumbled to a 28-1/2-year low, pointing to rapidly shrinking labor market slack. St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said the Fed's expected plans for rate increases may be too fast for an economy that has shown recent signs of weakness. "After he spoke, it was enough to push the dollar through some key levels that brought gold up pretty easily," said Bob Haberkorn, senior market strategist for RJO Futures in Chicago. Federal funds futures implied traders saw about a 74 percent chance the Fed would raise interest rates in June, CME Group's FedWatch program showed. Among other precious metals, palladium fell 0.5 percent to $757.97 per ounce. The metal slipped 6 percent this week and was poised for its biggest weekly fall since late January. Platinum rose 0.6 percent to $937.24 an ounce while silver climbed 1.6 percent to $16.80 an ounce. Both metals were headed for their strongest week since mid-April. (Additional reporting by Vijaykumar Vedala in Bengaluru; Editing by Alexander Smith and Phil Berlowitz)