Is pasta a lethal weapon? Can it be crushed by crafty Hamas militants and transformed into rocket fuel?

Pasta does not appear to pose an existential threat to Israel (though religious leaders might have reason to fear the rise of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, though that's another story...).

There may be no inherent danger posed by pasta, but the Israeli government has prevented aid groups from sending macaroni into Gaza for weeks.

Israeli officials have offered different reasons for the pasta ban. At one point, an Israeli official told McClatchy that they were checking to make sure the pasta was not destined for a Hamas charity that could benefit politically from handing out humanitarian aid.

This week, Israeli officials said pasta was not a basic need for Palestinians who had other options, like rice.

The pasta ban drew the attention of U.S. lawmakers who toured Gaza last week and questioned the Israeli restrictions.

Aid workers trying to get approval from Israel to transport humanitarian supplies into Gaza have been pulling their hair out for weeks.

During Israel's 22-day military operation in Gaza, Israel banned dates from going into Gaza and called them a luxury item.

Now it appears that pasta is also something of a luxury.

In an editorial on Thursday titled "Pasta is not a weapon," Haaretz urged Israel to ease the restrictions.

"Israel makes it difficult for goods to enter the Gaza Strip as a means of punishment and as pressure on Hamas every time it disturbs the peace," Haaretz wrote. "The experience from the war in Lebanon and the territories should have taught the decision makers that collective punishment of the civilian population is not merely not moral, but also harmful."

The pasta ban underscores a much larger problem facing Gaza.

While the pasta ban may be lifted as soon as today, Israeli leaders refuse to allow building materials such as cement and glass into Gaza because they don't want it used by Hamas to rebuild government buildings, smuggler tunnels or metal shops used to build rockets.

The PA in Ramallah is crafting a plan to funnel international reconstruction aid directly to Gazans who lost homes. But if there is no cement or glass or wood to rebuild, having the money will be useless.

These issues are likely to be at the top of the agenda next week at the donor conference in Egypt and in follow-up meetings in Jerusalem and Ramallah when Hillary Clinton makes her first visit as Secretary of State early next week.