But Israel and Egypt – partners in the siege – turn a blind eye most of the time to tunnels (perhaps as many as a thousand) that snake under the Egyptian border at Rafah and bring in black-market goods, which Hamas then taxes. Decent would-be Palestinian businessmen (the potential backbone of a middle class) are destroyed.
但合作实施封锁的以色列和埃及在多数时间里对从埃及边境的拉法地下蜿蜒而来的地道（可能达千条之多）装作视而不见，黑市商品则通过这些地道源源不断地流入，随后哈马斯开始对这些商品征税。 正经的潜在巴勒斯坦商人（也是中产阶级的潜在骨干）因此被彻底摧毁。 而敲诈勒索则蔓延开去。 卡夫卡式的政治催生出“爱丽丝漫游仙境”般的经济。