Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 19, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 19, 2024
Report: PA submits official request to Israel to allow Abbas to visit Gaza
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on March 31, 2024, in Ramallah. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)
The Palestinian Authority has reportedly issued a request to Israel to allow PA President Mahmoud Abbas to visit Gaza soon — something he vowed to do during a visit to Turkey last week.
According to a Walla news report, PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh sent a letter yesterday to National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi making the official request, and asking for Abbas to enter the Strip via a crossing from Israel, not through Rafah from Egypt.
The report suggests that Abbas expects the request to be rejected and will then use the rejection to further criticize Israel.
