THE POLITICS OF STARVATION:

Ultra-observant Jews press trade with Gaza (Joshua Mitnick, August 31, 2007, Washington Times)

Israel faces pressure from ultra-observant Jewish communities to ease a blockade of the Gaza Strip so they can import food and thus remain faithful to the tradition of not growing or consuming food cultivated on Jewish land once every seven years. [...]

It is difficult to underestimate the importance of agriculture for Palestinians in Gaza, where more than half of the population depends on outside aid to survive.

Farms in the blighted coastal strip account for 10 percent of the territory's economy, supporting more than one in six of its 1.4 million residents.

Though Israel's army says opening Gaza's main commercial crossing is too much of a security risk, both Palestinians and Israelis acknowledge that managing trade with Gaza is ultimately a political decision.