Israel Matzav

European diplomatic officials categorically denied a report in the London-based al-Hayat newspaper claiming that London is pressuring the European Union to remove its monitors from the Rafah border crossing.

"There is no truth in the report," said British embassy spokeswoman Karen Kaufman.

Julio de la Guardia Rivera, the spokesman for the 65-strong EU border Assistance Mission Rafah (EU BAM), said the report "has nothing to do with anything on the ground."

The al-Hayat report comes as Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas government are sparring over who will have control of the border crossings.

Rivera said that "as far as we are concerned everything [at the crossing] should remain in the hands of the presidency [Abbas]."

Abbas took control of the crossing, to the relief of the EU monitors at the site, last Tuesday. But on Sunday, after the issue increased tension between Abbas and the Hamas government of Ismail Haniyeh, Abbas sent a letter offering to hand control of the border to the new government.

Reuters quoted an aide to Abbas saying that "the Hamas government will be held responsible if the crossing is blocked by Israel or if the European monitors take a decision to withdraw."

Rivera said that the new security detail at the site numbered about 150 members of Abbas' Presidential Guard, and that the EU was "happy" to see this security detail in charge.

I can think of lots of reasons why it would be in the EU's interest to do this. The monitors have limited capabilities and from the article's description, they are ineffective anyway. If Hamas takes over the crossing, they will be able to do even less than they do today. And I'm sure they don't want to be blamed when terrorists and weapons are caught being smuggled in.

Read it all.