In the JPost today Yagil Henkin – a military historian from the Shalem Center – argues that “it is very unlikely that sanctions will cause the Hamas government to fall,” as “comprehensive economic sanctions can backfire; they tend to consolidate regimes.” With a historical review of other experiences with sanctions in the last few decades, he explains that “sanctions give the regime total control over the distribution of goods, making the population more dependent on it and thus less likely to resist.”

He goes on to advise: “It is obvious that embargoes of food and basic goods are counter-productive. The people of Gaza may or may not view Hamas as the culprit, but in any case, it is unlikely that the lack of pasta or fresh meat will goad them to overthrow their government.”