Olmert: Israel will not agree to open the Rafah crossing

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told lawmakers Monday that Israel would not agree to open the Rafah crossing - explicitly rejecting a chief condition Hamas has set for any truce with Israel. "We won't be willing to open the Rafah crossing at this point," a meeting participant quoted the prime minister as saying. Another official had no answer when asked if that meant the passage could be opened later. "We won't allow optimal conditions in Gaza, but we won't allow starvation, nor will we prevent medicines from entering Gaza," Olmert was quoted as saying.