TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Under heavy U.S. pressure, Israel has abandoned its demand for direct monitoring of the Egypt-Gaza border as well for a sea port planned by the Palestinian Authority.

Officials said the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ceded its demand for a direct live video feed from surveillance cameras at the Rafah border terminal along the Egypt-Gaza border. They said the government also dropped its demand for a data link to computers at Rafah to monitor those entering and leaving the Gaza Strip.

"You can't judge everything by a security thermometer," Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres said.

Instead, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz agreed to a U.S. proposal for a European Union-led command center near the Gaza Strip. The command center, located in Israel, would obtain a live video feed from Rafah, but Israel would have no right to respond to security incidents or veto the entry of visitors.