In Israel and the Occupied Territories, an Israeli human rights group is warning the blockade on Gaza threatens to destroy Gaza’s already depleted commercial sector and encourage local support for violent extremism. According to Gisha, three-quarters of Gaza’s factories have closed in just three weeks due to a ban on importing or exporting goods. The price for raw materials has risen by up to 34 percent. Thirty thousand people, or one-tenth of the workforce, are expected to lose their jobs. And in a further setback, the local U.N. relief groups are expected to announce today an end to all construction projects in Gaza because Israel won’t allow the import of cement. An Israeli military official involved in Gaza policy described Israel’s strategy there as “no development, no progress, no humanitarian crisis.”