Israel plays the economic card against Hamas

• Published date: 24 April 2022
• Author: Danny Zaken
• Publication title: Globes (Rishon LeZion, Israel)

Nothing that happens in the Gaza Strip, however, happens without Hamas approval. It's not a matter of turning a blind eye, but of full cooperation, and a division of labor between the different organizations. In briefings for Israeli reporters, defense sources said that "Hamas does not want a confrontation, but there are organizations that are causing provocations below it." The reality is, how shall we put it, somewhat different. Hamas might not want a full-blown conflict, but it is Hamas that is sending the other, supposedly "wayward" organizations to launch the rockets. These briefings indicate that the defense establishment is trying to prepare the Israeli public for a policy of containment of the intermittent rocket fire and escalation to a low level confrontation

The dilemma for the Israeli leadership was over deterrent and reactive steps on the civilian-economic front. One thesis is that a distinction should be drawn between the civilians in the Gaza Strip and the terrorist organizations, and that the situation of the population should be improved while hitting the organizations. According to this thesis, resentment of Hamas will increase, and international criticism of Israel will recede. The opposing thesis is that halting the economic relaxations that have helped the economy of the Gaza Strip to grow in the past few months is what will make the populace turn against Hamas.

As the low-intensity rocket fire continued, it was decided to switch to the second approach, and the coordinator of government activities in the territories General Ghassan Alian announced that the gates of the Erez Crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip would not open today for the twelve thousand workers from the Gaza Strip who hold permits to work in Israel. In fact, at the beginning of the series of economic relaxations last summer, defense sources explained that they would give Israel bargaining cards versus Hamas, which rules the territory: quiet in return for economic development, or cancellation of the relaxations in the event of a flare-up.

One of the most significant relaxations is the raising of the number of recipients of permits to work in Israel, from 3,000 Gaza Strip residents defined as "businesspeople" last summer, although in fact most of them...