The head of the European Union monitoring team at the Rafah crossing arrived in Israel today. Italian Gen. Pietro Pistolese will head a team of about 70 monitors. The Rafah crossing, to be manned by Palestinian officials monitored by the EU, could be opened as early as Friday. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said the agreement between Israel and the PA on the Rafah crossing, hammered out by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, struck a "good balance" between Israel's security needs and improving the Gaza economy.