Israel will not block Mahmoud Abbas’ forces from taking control of the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.
Egypt said Monday that it wanted to hand over the Rafah border crossing to the Palestinian Authority president.
Arab foreign ministers gathered in Cairo for a meeting enthusiastically greeted the offer, but the terrorist party Hamas, which controls Gaza, rejected the proposal.
Representatives of Abbas and Hamas will meet with Egyptian officials in Cairo Wednesday to discuss border control.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that America would support Abbas’ forces assuming control of the Rafah crossing, saying it might bring “some order” to the border.
Meanwhile, the European Union said Monday it is considering sending its monitors back to the area.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
