Israel will not stop the Palestinian Authority (PA) from taking control of the international border at Rafiah if Egypt agrees, according to Reuters News Agency. It cited unnamed Israeli officials as its source, but the government has not confirmed the policy. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier this week flatly rejected a suggestion by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas that the PA supervise the border.

Egypt has backed the idea, but there has been no declaration on how the PA, led by the Fatah faction, could supervise the border at Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas. Prime Minister Olmert previously has stated he will immediately halt negotiations with Abbas if Fatah and Hamas reach a political agreement.