PALESTINIANS CONTROL BORDER CROSSING WITH EGYPT AT RAFAH

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, center, jokes as he waits for his passport to be stamped at the Rafah border crossing terminal on November 25, 2005. Abbas opened the border in a festive ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, a milestone for the Palestinians who for the first time took control of a border crossing without Israeli veto powers and gained some freedom of movement. Also pictured the head of Egyptian Intelligence, Omar Suleiman, right, European Union representative, Marc Otte, second right, and Palestinian cabinet minister Mohammed Dahlan, third right. (UPI Photo/Suhaib Salem/Pool)