 GAZA: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has offered to hand control of the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt to the new government led by the militant group Hamas, officials said on Sunday. Last Tuesday, special forces loyal to Abbas assumed control of the crossing, a move that heightened tensions between the president and Hamas, which took office on March 29. "The discussions are still going on. Until now Hamas has not responded to the offer," said an aide to Abbas. An official from Abbas's Fatah movement in Gaza said the president had sent a letter to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh which said border control would pass to Hamas. The official did not give a timeframe. "The Hamas government will be held responsible if the crossing is blocked by Israel or if the European monitors take a decision to withdraw," the official said. |