Rather than meeting its obligations under the 2012 ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which necessitated easing the crossings into Gaza, Israel’s political leaders appeared willing to maintain the blockade while expecting calm to prevail in return. This one-sided and unsustainable expectation underscored another finding made by the Israeli state comptroller’s report, which was that Israel had no strategy for dealing with Gaza.78 Through Protective Edge, it became evident that Israel was willing to rely on reactive and overwhelming military power as the primary tool for responding to threats or
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