Israeli Navy sailors embark on a warship in order to stop a flotilla of activists attempting to deliver aid to Gaza in spite of Israel's blockade May 30, 2010 in Haifa, Israel.Pool/Getty Images
The Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza ought to be maintained but it should be radically revised, to permit the flow of food and all other peaceable goods, while preventing the entry of weapons, from Iran or anywhere else, by strict inspection systems on land and at sea.
Israel has good reason to fear that the Hamas government of Gaza could obtain Iranian missiles that would threaten much of its population. The Israeli ground invasion of Gaza of December, 2008, to January, 2009, was a retaliation against rocket attacks within a 45-kilometre range from Gaza, reaching a number of places in southern Israel, including the port city of Ashdod. More recently, some intelligence reports have said that the Iranians are trying to deliver to Gaza Fajr-5 missiles, which could strike Tel Aviv.
Since the 2008-2009 war, the behaviour of the Hamas government has been fairly measured. But a more strongly armed Hamas would probably be less restrained.
On the other hand, the basic humanitarian supplies - staple foods and medicine - that are allowed into Gaza are not enough. Idle hands, it is said, can lead to wicked deeds, and Gazans should be able to eat, clothe themselves, work and engage in commerce - insofar as is feasible under the abnormal circumstances of their territory - rather than continuing to be reduced to paupers who live from the charity of the United Nations and various non-governmental organizations, as they fester with resentment.
Israel's practices on what can pass into the Gaza Strip are inconsistent; too much discretion tends to become arbitrariness. Among the items that are sometimes refused are light bulbs, shoes, matches and blankets. Instead, there should be explicit and intelligible policies.
At the same time, all shipments into Gaza should be carefully inspected, so to as exclude weapons and materials that could realistically be turned into dangerous weapons. Perhaps the most perplexing class of goods are steel pipes, needed for construction but also useful in making rockets.
The sea coast is not different in principle from land crossing points (or indeed underground tunnels). Israel, which is coping with a terrorist statelet, which Iran would be delighted to deploy as a proxy, has a right to stop and inspect any boat that approaches Gaza, and to turn it back if access is refused.
Hardly any of this is easy to apply, and it is too soon to expect an end of the blockade. The two principles of open commerce and rigorous exclusion of weapons, however, are not difficult to grasp.