Wrong and Stupid

I have written several times that Israel's blockade of Gaza is immoral, and many others have written about that more eloquently than I.

But it is also stupid, and counter-productive to Israel's own declared interests.

Three conservative newspapers have written about this recently

The Wall Street Journal reports that the blockade has “decimated Gaza's private sector”, and since businesses can't import raw materials or export finished goods, they are more reliant on Hamas-controlled smuggling: “All this has bolstered Hamas.” Read it here .

Similarly, The Economist reports that “the siege has given Hamas a free hand to mould the place…Hamas is making society in its own image. Huge amounts now pass through the tunnel shafts … creating a new economy from which Hamas creams a handsome share of the profits”. “The siege is a gift,” says a Hamas minister. Read it here.

Israel’s boycott of Hamas doesn’t seemed to have weakened it politically at all, “Rising up against Hamas is not an option, and people are not thinking about it." Read it here.

with thanks to Mark Bench