Robert Wright
Sadly typical of the way the MSM covers the issue is a recent New York Times piece about the ceasefire by David Kirkpatrick and Jodi Rudoren (both
of whom have done excellent work on other issues in the region). The piece described the blockade as "Israel's tight restrictions on
the border crossings into Gaza under a seven-year-old embargo imposed to thwart Hamas from arming itself."
Putting it this way is a real time saver, not just because it fits
into a single short sentence, but because, if you're too busy to
actually write that
sentence, the Israeli government's press office would be happy to do
it for you. But this description of the blockade raises a question:
If the essential purpose of the blockade were indeed to "thwart Hamas from arming itself," wouldn't restrictions on imports into
Gaza suffice? (And
even then the import restrictions wouldn't have to be as draconian
as they were when imposed, or even as tight as they are now, after some
loosening.) What
I'd like to see an enterprising MSM reporter ask is: How do Israel's
severe restrictions on Gazan exports keep arms from getting to Hamas?
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