According to a report from N12, citing a high-ranking Palestinian source, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has turned down Israel's proposal to assume control of the Palestinian section of the Rafah checkpoint on the Gaza Strip-Egypt border.
Arab affairs commentator Ehud Yaari points out that this proposal was presented to Abbas and the US administration. However, the Palestinian leader responded that he was not willing to consider the initiative until a ceasefire was achieved.
Furthermore, Palestinian leadership representatives informed the Americans that they would not assume control of the checkpoint without prior agreement with Hamas. They emphasized that resolving the checkpoint issue should be part of a comprehensive settlement that addresses the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
