June 15 marks the 11th anniversary of Israel’s land, sea and air blockade of the Gaza Strip, imposed after Hamas took power there in 2007. On June 10, the Israeli Security Cabinet conducted its first-ever discussion of a possible accommodation with Hamas. Over the past decade, Israel has received various proposals through different channels for easing the harsh economic crisis created by the siege in return for a long-term cease-fire by the Palestinians. However, Israel ignored the offers and tried to deter Hamas with the use of force — a method that repeatedly proved ineffective. This assumption regarding the use of force dragged Israel into three widespread military operations — Cast Lead in 2008-2009, Pillar of Defense in 2012 and Protective Edge in 2014 — eroded its international standing and failed to secure peace for the residents of southern Israel. Did anyone truly believe that Israel could seal off the Gaza Strip and its 2 million residents without incurring security, humanitarian and international costs?

Israel chose to exert economic pressure on Hamas — except for allowing humanitarian aid to reach the Strip — based on the mistaken assumption that the movement would quickly collapse and be forced to give up its control. However, a measure that was supposed to last for days or several weeks turned into a permanent policy.

Israel’s security forces were also mobilized to carry out this mistaken policy, sometimes with absurd results. In 2010, for example, the military drew up a list of raw materials permitted as humanitarian assistance for Gaza. Certain products were labeled luxuries and disallowed, among them cilantro, a central ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine. The military even prepared a presentation showing the calorie intake required for adults to stave off starvation.

At the same time, Israel flatly rejected all the long-term cease-fire proposals that Hamas conveyed through mediators over the years. Instead, it kept up its economic pressure and military blows in an effort to destroy the Hamas regime and prevent it from firing rockets and shells at Israel. Throughout this period, the government did not conduct a single debate on the obvious question of whether the blockade had achieved its goal, or perhaps had spurred Hamas into developing its military force.