12th December 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Rosa Schiano | Gaza, Occupied Palestine
A Civil Defense worker pumps water from a flooded house. (Photo by Rosa Schiano)
Since Tuesday, the Gaza Strip has been hit by bad weather and temperatures have fallen rapidly. Most people remain in their homes. Many stores are closed.
It is hard to go out because in many areas, the heavy rains have caused flooding and the streets have turned into rivers. In other cases, there is a danger of slipping due to hail and poor visibility. It is rare to find taxis available.
According to the department of meteorology, strong winds have reached 70 kilometers/hour. The bad weather is expected to last until Friday. Even snow is expected.
The Civil Defense Directorate said that due to the heavy rainfall, they had to rescue residents from more than 40 houses. Rain entered the houses, and Civil Defense collected the water through the pumps. Many houses, especially those in the refugee camps, are very simple. Their material is not resistant and water enters them through roofs made of metal sheets.
Firefighters also had to remove cars blocked by the rain.
The situation in the Gaza Strip, especially in refugee camps, is bad because there is a high population density in confined spaces and houses are not suited to such weather conditions.
In addition to the the flooding caused by the rain, contaminated water has flown in the streets of some areas due to the interruption of electricity that prevents wastewater treatment plants from working.
Due to the lack of electricity, residents cannot heat their homes. Many children fall ill with colds and fever because of the cold temperatures.
Our generator is switched on and off constantly, making communication with the outside world even more difficult.
On Tuesday, 17 December, Palestinian fishermen will pitch a protest tent in the Gaza seaport. The structure, which will stand for three days and be decorated with pictures of fishermen attacked or captured by the Israeli navy, is a demonstration against Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and its military attacks on Palestinian fishermen.
Fishermen who have previously been attacked or captured, as well as representatives of fishing and human rights organizations, will be available for interviews. Palestinian and international supporters speaking Arabic, Catalan, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish will also participate.
“As fishermen, we want people to stand in solidarity with us, to free Gaza waters and guarantee our full enjoyment of the fundamental right to sail freely, and to stop Israel’s massive violations against us,” said fisherman and activist Zakaria Baker. “It’s time to stop all kinds of war crimes against fishermen. It’s time to end the illegal siege, a form of collective punishment forbidden under international humanitarian law.”
“Gaza fishermen are seeking to enjoy their livelihoods based on dignity and freedom,” said Khalil Shaheen, director of the economic and social rights unit at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). “Let people live their normal lives. End all collective punishment. Respect human rights in all circumstances.”
The “Free the Holy Land Sea” campaign is supported by PCHR, Activists for Palestinian Prisoners, the al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, the General Union of Fishermen, the International Solidarity Movement, the Palestinian Press Network, Supporters for Fishermen’s Rights, and the Unadikum Association.
The tent will stand from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, 17 December through Thursday, 19 December.
10th December 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Charlie Andreasson | Gaza, Occupied Palestine
(Photo by Charlie Andreasson)
Gaza’s fish action brought back memories from both my time as a fisherman and my work in the port of Gothenburg. There was the same crowding around the neat rows of boxes, filled with different types of fish and shellfish, the auctioneer’s pad and pen, the attention, the exclamations.
In my hometown, I never ceased to be fascinated by the almost invisible signs from the sellers: a quickly raised eyebrow, a wink, barely discernible nod, a blow with a pencil against a block. Here the signals were clearer, but the concern that I would accidentally give a sign that could be seen as an acceptance of the auctioneer’s bid was still within me.
(Photo by Charlie Andreasson)
But there was also another difference, a more substantial one: the amount of fish. In Gothenburg, there were double rows, five to six boxes high, arranged in line after line. The group of men, for they were all men, moved along them as they were sold. The boat that unloaded its cargo first also sold it first, which usually generated the best price. It was always a race against the clock to come into the harbor and unload as quickly as possible.
Here in Gaza, the rows were fewer, and no box was set on another. And I suppose that instead of a race against time to unload first, there was pressure to get into the harbor before the Israeli navy attacked. For it is precisely because of Israeli violence that the catches are so small.
The number of registered fishing boats in Gaza today is only 433. The largest of them is around twenty meters. Far from all that are seaworthy. Likewise, the number of registered fishermen has fallen from about 5,000 during the 1980s to fewer than 3,000 today, according to the UN. In 2000, the fishing industry was valued at $10 million, but today it is only a shadow.
That was clear to me where I stood and watched the auction over the few boxes of fish that were up for bidding. In 2009, the total catch was 1,526 tons, down 42% since 2000. And as the shallow waters are increasingly overfished, the catch will continue its steep decline. The fish are in deeper water, still in Palestinian waters, but where the fishermen are not allowed. Where they are attacked, have their gear destroyed and boats seized by the Israeli military.
(Photo by Charlie Andreasson)
According to the Oslo Accords, fishermen can use their water up to 20 nautical miles from the coast, but the occupying power has limited this right to only six miles. Even within this limit, which has no basis in international law, attacks against fishermen are common. The situation is serious for the 35,000 people who still directly depend on the fishing industry, not to mention the overall economy.
And that is perhaps why this collective punishment, a violation of the fourth Geneva Convention, continues. It hurts the Palestinian economy, making Palestinians totally dependent on foreign aid, in order to make it impossible for a viable Palestinian state to become a reality. And as long as this inhumane policy continues, enforced through military aggression and without strong international condemnation, there will be fewer and fewer boxes of fish for the auctioneer to announce.
8th December 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine
Yesterday, the village of Nabi Saleh held an event to commemorate the deaths of Mostafa and Rushdi Tamimi. It is the second year anniversary of the death of Mostafa who was killed during a demonstration. The 7th of December also marks 26 years since the beginning of the first intifada.
In addition to the weekly Friday demonstrations that are held throughout the West Bank, the popular committees also started having events on Saturdays, which will be followed by a demonstration in one village once a month. Yesterday in Nabi Saleh was the first of these events.Hundreds of people came together in the village square, where speeches and performances were held.The event ended with a dance performed by the youth. After that several hundred people marched to the army tower at the entrance of Nabi Saleh. Before even reaching the tower the army shot lots of tear gas canisters at the approaching protesters. Even though many people suffered from heavy tear gas inhalation, it did not prevent them from trying to get to the tower again. Demonstrators successfully reached the yellow gate which blocks access to the village from one side; several people went in front of it. The soldiers initially detained three people; one Palestinian, one Israeli and one international. They were all released after a short while. The soldiers made several further attempts to arrest Palestinians and internationals, all of which were prevented by the protesters.
Demonstration in Nabi Saleh, 7th December 2013 Photo by Thomas SevereIsraeli army is trying to arrest demonstrators, which was successfully prevented. Photo by Thomas Severe
Meanwhile, Palestinian youth were throwing stones at soldiers and jeeps in the field, who responded with tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets. Mustafa Tamimi’s brother was shot in face, resulting in the breaking of his jaw.
Youth are throwing stones at the soldiers and the police. Photo by Thomas Severe
The group in front of the yellow gate moved on together, blocking the army jeeps which were exiting the village.After protesters were forcefully removed they tried to reach the spring, which has been stolen by the settlers from the nearby illegal Settlement of Halamish.The army prevented this by attacking the protesters with more tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets. Soldiers were pushing them back into the village where the demonstration ended. The whole event lasted for about five hours, with one person being hospitalized and many others injured.
A women is being treated after suffering from tear gas inhalation. Photo by Thomas Severe
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately 16:30 on Saturday, 07 December 2013, dozens of Palestinian children gathered at the southern entrance of al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah, near the UNRWA school, nearly 300 meters from the fence of “Beit Eil” settlement. They set fire to rubber tires and threw stones at Israeli soldiers. Israeli soldiers who got out of the settlement and those stationed on an observation tower at the fence opened fire at the children.
As a result, Wajeeh Wajdi Mustafa al-Ramahi, 15, was seriously wounded by a live bullet to the left side of his back. The child was evacuated in a private car to Palestine Medical Compound in Ramallah, where he underwent a surgery, but he succumbed to his wound. Medical sources declared his death at approximately 17:10.
PCHR is deeply concerned over this crime, which further proves the use of excessive force by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in disregard for the civilians’ lives. Therefore, PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes and reiterates its call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions.
