From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 13, 2024
Israel last week offered PA to take part in operating Rafah Border Crossing; proposal reportedly rejected
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Israel last week offered the Palestinian Authority to send representatives to take part in running the Rafah Border Crossing, according to four senior American, Israeli, and Palestinian officials quoted in a report published by the Walla and Axios news sites.
The offer came on the condition that the representatives not act officially on behalf of the PA, according to the report.
A US official confirms the report to The Times of Israel.
Sky News Arabic reports that the PA rejected the offer.
Axios quotes an unnamed source as saying that Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar has told his Egyptian counterpart, Abbas Kamel, that Israel wants to reopen the Rafah Crossing, but will not allow Hamas to return to the area.
The Rafah Crossing has been closed since Monday, when Israel seized the Palestinian side of it in an early morning raid. Egypt has since suspended the transfer of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and is demanding Israel withdraw forces from the crossing.
The proposal marks the first time since war erupted with Hamas’s October 7 massacre that Israel has offered the PA to be involved in the management of the Gaza Strip.
The US sees the PA as a key part of its preferred plans for post-war Gaza, on a pathway to a two-state solution with Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.