It’s disingenuous to demand Israel freely open a border to a regime that has proclaimed its intention to destroy it, and it’s dishonest to make that demand when borders are conduits for weapons deliveries from Iran to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Some of the most dangerous missiles fired by Hamas and other Iran-linked groups at Israel – at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem -- in the latest round were Iranian-made Fajr-5 rockets.

It’s easy to stop noticing the stripes, to hear a purr instead of the roar, but anyone thinking of Hamas and other militant Islamist groups in Gaza as harmless pussy cats can easily be reminded of the sharpness of their claws. Hamas’ charter proclaims in Article Eight that “death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of wishes.”

Before Hamas’ rockets became a daily source of terror for Israelis near Gaza, the group sent scores of suicide bombers into Israeli cities killing hundreds of civilians, including children, fathers, mothers, grandmothers.

A commercial recently aired on Palestinian television addressed Israelis, saying, “We’ve missed suicide attacks. Expect us soon at bus stations and cafes.”

So, to anyone thinking that a lifting of Israel’s strict restrictions on Hamas-held Gaza would put an end to the tensions and the killing, I suggest a few minutes listening to or reading Hamas’ own words.

A real solution would require rescinding Hamas’ commitment to the destruction of the Jewish State, something Israel and other countries have long demanded of Hamas in exchange for lifting sanctions and moving to a constructive relation.

Now, that would really help the people of Gaza.