A new, grammatically challenged, sign hangs in the rudimentary Hamas passport control caravan at the Erez border crossing with Israel:

On the instruction of the Ministry of Interior to prevent all forms of liquor are confiscated immediately be seized and destroyed and poured in front of their owners."

Until recently, Hamas was allowing foreigners to bring in two bottles of booze when they came into Gaza.

When I heard that Hamas was imposing a total ban, I decided to pack a small bottle of whiskey in my bag to see what they would do when I went into Gaza this week.

The new sign hangs inside the small, sparse caravan Hamas uses to register visitors coming into Gaza from Israel. (Many of the caravans appear to have been donated by a Turkish charity, though I don't know if the Turkish charity donated them to be used for the Hamas border control offices...)

The Hamas passport control officer writes things in an archaic register and then sends visitors to another caravan where a guy (presumably a health official of some sort) asks you to sick a thermometer under your armpit to check for "Swine Flu."

After that it's off to meet the customs guard who searches the luggage. I waited for the guy to open my bag, discover the whiskey, give me a stern look and pour it on the ground.

But he never even looked inside. Since I was only coming in for a short visit, I had only a small backpack. And apparently the guard wasn't worried about what might be inside...

The new regulations are part of an evolving imposition of conservative values in Gaza that includes the "devilish dress" posters hanging in shops and offices around Gaza.

AFP recently tracked down covert wine makers in Gaza who circumvent the alcohol ban by making booze in their homes.

Hamas leaders told AFP that they will not crack down on people who drink booze, only those who sell it...