12 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza
Three years of protests have come and gone in Beit Hanoun. Every week, for three years, the people of Beit Hanoun have come out to protest against the occupation, against the wall that prevents them from returning to their homes in ’48, against the buffer zone which prevents them from farming their land. Three years isn’t so long though, three years is only a blip in their sixty three year old struggle to return to their land. The people of Beit Hanoun have survived the Nakba, the Naqsa, the Occupation, Cast Lead, and still they have not given up. So every week, every Tuesday, for over three years now, they have marched into the buffer zone to visit their land which they are not allowed to farm, to remind the world that justice has still not been achieved.
We set off at 11 o’clock this morning. About 30 people, residents of Beit Hanoun, Gaza, internationals, set off toward the buffer zone. The sun was beating down, the flags were raised up high, Bella Ciao boomed from the loudspeaker. As always, the march starts out in high spirits, as we get closer to the buffer zone, everyone gets progressively tenser; eyes scan the wall and the hills more carefully. We enter the buffer zone, the dead zone, where every tree has been destroyed by the Israeli’s, where nothing is allowed to live without being attacked regularly by Israeli bulldozers. We stop a short distance inside the buffer zone. Sabur Zaineen from the Beit Hanoun Local Initiative gives a short speech, specifically against the collaboration of European governments in perpetuating the siege on Gaza, for stopping the Freedom Flotilla II. The loudspeaker is handed off to someone else and chants against the occupation echo out over the dead zone and toward the Israeli soldiers ensconced in their concrete towers. Hopefully, someone is listening; someone will pause for just a moment in their daily life and think about what a life without justice, what a life under siege feels like. Hopefully, that person will decide to fight for justice.
Journalists and CPSGaza activists aboard the Oliva as it sets out on its first mission (Rana Baker)
For years, Palestinian fishermen have been subject to routine attacks, shootings and arrests by the Israeli navy as they attempt to ply their trade in the seas off the coast of Gaza.
A month ago, Oliva, the first boat to monitor human rights violations in the Palestinian territorial waters, was launched. The project was organized by the Civil [Peace] Service Gaza (CPSGaza – CPSgaza.org) in cooperation with the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees and Fishing and Marine Sports Association.
Mahfouz al-Kabariti, the president of the Fishing and Marine Sports Association, explained to The Electronic Intifada how the idea of this monitoring boat came to life.
“In the beginning, many international activists escorted Palestinian fishermen on six-mile voyages to break the siege enforced on the fishing area until Israel began sending waves of aggression against the fishermen and the international activists themselves. They arrested them and deported the activists,” he said.
Fishing boats were usually impounded for two to three months, al-Kabariti explained, “So we came up with the idea of establishing an independent boat entrusted to observe human rights violations and to help the Palestinian fishermen in cases of sabotage or accidents. We thought that having a civic, peaceful boat crewed by international observes will carry out the mission of documenting violations of human rights.”
According to the 1994 Oslo Accords, Palestinian territorial waters for the purposes of economic activity extend to twenty nautical miles offshore. However, Israel continues to break most, if not all, of the agreements between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government, and between Israel and the international community.
Attacks by the Israeli navy
In fact, the twenty nautical-mile fishing area was unilaterally reduced by Israel to just three nautical miles in 2008, only exacerbating the crisis in yet another sector of the already-exhausted Gaza economy. This reduced the quantity of fish available to be caught by fishermen. Not only have the fishermen been deprived of their livelihoods, but they are also constantly attacked and arrested by the Israeli Navy, which frequently confiscates or deliberately damages fishing boats and other property.
The fishing industry is a main source of living in Gaza. A high percentage of the Gazan population depends on it to feed and shelter their families. However, the Israeli government, which claimed to have “disengaged” from Gaza in 2005, still controls exports, imports, movement and access to what are supposed to be Palestinian territorial waters.
One fisherman who gave his last name as Bakr but chose not to provide his first name, was inside the three-mile offshore limit when he was shot twice in is leg almost three months ago.
“We were just two miles offshore; not even three as the Israelis want,” he told The Electronic Intifada. “We heard the sirens of their gunboats so we knew there was something wrong and we turned off the engine. They came across and fired at us. When my cousin took off his shirt to wrap my leg, they knew someone was injured and went away.”
Another fisherman, Omar Bakr, was arrested by Israeli forces. “A while ago, the israelis arrested me and impounded my boat,” he said. “I was asked about the purpose of my voyage and they suspected I was smuggling something.”
With these sorts of routine attacks, almost unnoticed by the rest of the world, there is a clear impetus for an independent human rights monitoring project on the seas.
Practical support and a symbol of Palestinian heritage
Oliva, the monitoring boat, is identifiable and can be clearly distinguished from boats used by the fishermen. Small and white it is 7.4 meters long. It has the CPSGaza logo painted on its body and a flag carrying the same logo. It is crewed by international observers, many of whom are activists with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
The name Oliva was chosen for its strong roots in the 63-year-old Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation. Joe Catron, an activist with the ISM, told The Electronic Intifada that the group “envisioned the olive as a symbol of Palestinian heritage and struggle.” Catron added that the name of the boat was supported by the group’s co-founder, Vittorio Arrigoni, who was kidnapped and murdered in Gaza in April.
The first mission
The first real mission (a symbolic launch had been done in April) was carried out on 8 June. At 9:15 in the morning, Oliva set sail from the aging port of Gaza. It was followed by three boats with journalists and TV correspondents on board.
As part of the land team, this writer had to stay in a small office and maintain the connection with the crew. We would ask them at least every ten minutes to specify their position and report the situation. At 10:24am they were two miles south of the port, among half a dozen fishing boats. An Israeli gunship was visible but neither calls to retreat nor firing incidents were reported.
At three nautical miles out to sea, things remained calm except for a few number of gunships roaming the sea to demonstrate their control of the waters. The mission ended at 10:55am
Israeli reaction “muted”
The Israeli navy did not fire at the fishermen when Oliva accompanied them, which indicated the success of the first mission. The same scenario occured on other occasions the fishing boats were escorted by Oliva. The standard number of activists aboard the boat is two, in addition to one Palestinian captain.
Catron, who is most often one of the two activists aboard, says that “the Israeli reaction so far has been muted.”
“We have received no direct threats,” he added, “but when we are at sea, the Israeli navy will frequently come onto our civilian radio frequencies and converse with each other in English. I find it hard to believe they would do that under normal circumstances. Presumably, they do it to remind us of their presence.”
But how will international observers react if Israeli naval forces commit any violent action against the fishermen?
“Our first reaction would be to inform them that their actions violated international humanitarian law. From there, we would proceed depending on their reaction, and according to the exact circumstances. For example, we would draft a brief report on the facts of the incident. This will be published, widely distributed, and analyzed by our coalition partners for advocacy efforts and possible legal action,” Catron explained.
“I feel very comfortable when Oliva escorts us”
Such violent action took place on 29 June when the Israeli gunboats shot at the fishing boats in the presence of Oliva. Oliva was escorting a number of fishing boats in an attempt to break the three-mile siege when Israeli warships appeared to be closer than usual. They began with shooting in the water and ended with riddling the boats — though not the Oliva. This account was provided to this writer by an ISM activist, though nothing else has been published about it.
Despite those sporadic assaults even when Oliva escorts his boat, fisherman Jalal Bakr still thinks the project can protect hundreds of fishermen like him.
“When Oliva comes along, we can fish beyond three miles. The Israelis would usually roam around, but not fire. I feel very comfortable when Oliva escorts us,” he said.
Mahfouz al-Kabariti, the head of the fisherman’s association, told The Electronic Intifada while gazing at the sea: “Oliva was a result of a collective effort. Let me name it Oliva One because one boat is not enough and we look forward to developing more boats.”
Rana Baker, 19, is a student of business administration and a member of the Gaza-based BDS organizing committee. Rana’s blog is ranabaker.wordpress.com and she can be followed on twitter at: @RanaGaza.
The family of Rachel Corrie, the US activist killed in Gaza while protesting against house demolitions in 2003, on Monday claimed the Israeli military authorities withheld video evidence during the Corries’ civil lawsuit and misled US officials on crucial details.
Craig Corrie, Rachel’s father, told a press conference in Jerusalem that the footage from a surveillance camera near the scene of his daughter’s death submitted to the court was “incomplete”. Additional video material obtained by the family showed Rachel’s body in a different spot to the place identified by some military commanders, he said.
He also alleged that the Israeli military had misled US officials on the position of Rachel’s body when she was killed.
Rachel, from Olympia, Washington state, was killed while attempting to protect the home of a Palestinian family in the Rafah area of Gaza from being demolished by Israeli troops in March 2003. Her family and other activists who witnessed the incident say she was crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer.
Following Rachel’s death the then Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, promised US president George W Bush a “thorough, credible and transparent” investigation.
An internal Israeli military investigation, which was never published nor released to the US government nor the Corries, concluded that the two soldiers who operated the bulldozer had not seen Rachel and that no charges would be brought. The case was closed.
In March last year the Corrie family launched a civil case, accusing the military of either unlawfully or intentionally killing Rachel or of gross negligence. Hearings in the case ended on Sunday and a verdict is due to be delivered next April.
“After more than a year of hearings, we are at this moment in much the same place as we were when they began – up against a wall of Israeli officials determined to protect the state at all costs, including at the expense of truth,” said Cindy Corrie, Rachel’s mother.
“We came seeking accountability. We demand justice,” said Craig Corrie.
The final witness in the case, Colonel Pinhas Zuaretz, told the court in Haifa that Rafah was a war zone in 2003 and “reasonable people would not be there unless they had aims of attacking our forces”. Members of the International Solidarity Movement, such as Rachel Corrie, were aiding “Palestinian terrorists”, he said.
In arguing that the case should be dismissed, the Israeli government claimed Rachel was responsible for her own death. Both sides have 90 days to submit closing arguments in writing.
Huwaida Arraf is a Palestinian lawyer with American and Israeli citizenship. In 2001 Huwaida co-founded the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), which has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Huwaida is co-author of “Peace Under Fire: Israel, Palestine, and the International Solidarity Movement.” She taught in a human rights law clinic at Al-Quds University, the first legal clinic in the Arab World. She was one of the initiators and organizers of a delegation of American lawyers to Gaza in February 2009, and co-edited the report on their findings. Huwaida is currently the Chairperson of the Free Gaza Movement. Since August 2008, she has led 5 successful sea voyages to the Gaza Strip. She was one of the primary organizers of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, traveling with it when it was lethally attacked by Israeli forces on 31 May 2010.
تحمل المحامية الفلسطينية هويدا عراف الجنسيتين الأميركية والإسرائيلية. وقد ساهمت في العام 2001 في تأسيس “حركة التضامن الدولي” التي تم ترشيحها مرتين لنيل جائزة نوبل للسلام. كما شاركت في تأليف كتاب ”السلام تحت النار : إسرائيل وفلسطين وحركة التضامن الدولي.” وفي سنة 2009 قامت بالتدريس في عيادة قانونية لحقوق الإنسان في جامعة القدس في القدس، وهي أول عيادة قانونية في العالم العربي. وكانت قد بادرت مع مجموعة من الأشخاص في تنظيم انتقال وفد من المحامين الأميركيين إلى غزة في فبراير/شباط 2009، فأخذت على عاتقها تحرير تقرير تقصي الحقائق الذي يعرض النتائج التي توصلوا إليها. ترأس هويدا في الوقت الراهن حركة غزة الحرة، وقد قادت منذ أغسطس/آب 2008 خمس رحلات بحرية ناجحة إلى القطاع. هذا بالإضافة إلى كونها أحد المنظمين الرئيسين لأسطول الحرية الذي هدف إلى فك الحصار عن غزة وكانت على متنه حين تعرض إلى هجوم مميت من قبل القوات الإسرائيلية في 31 مايو/أيار 2010.
7 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza
At Vittorio’s funeral in Gaza the crowds chanted “Viktor is with the fisherman, Viktor is withthe farmers”, Vittorio is still with the people of Gaza. He lives on in their hearts. He has been honored with a football tournament in Rafah, with a street in Gaza, with a school in the JordanValley, but I think that perhaps the honor that would be closest to his heart is the VittorioArrigoni – Stay Human summer camp in Beit Hanoun. Vittorio had worked in Beit Hanoun his entire time in Gaza. Riding in ambulances during Cast Lead and supporting the weekly demonstrations against the buffer zone since then. The Fursan Al Ghad Youth Center honored him by naming their summer camp in his honor, the Vittorio Arrigoni – Stay Human summer camp.
Fursan Al Ghad is a small center, just a small three room building, a courtyard, and a van. It is a center with big goals though. It seeks not only to provide the children with a safe spacefor summer fun, but to remind them that they are part of something bigger than themselves. The children not only participate in art and music programs, but they also perform community service and protest the occupation.
The Vittorio Arrigoni – Stay Human camp opened in mid-June. It serves sixty children from age eight to fifteen. Sixty children in one small building. Every morning the children stream in at nine A.M. Soon the entire building is alive with singing, dancing children. Like Vittorio, the teachers at Fursan Al Ghad love to sing, Bella Ciao, Inadakoom, traditional Palestinian songs. The children love to both sing and dance debka. Many of them are surprisingly good, eight year old Fred Astairs.
The children also do art projects, both in the classrooms and outside. The wall across fromFursan Al Ghad is now covered in a beautiful new mural. The most beautiful project though,was building kites. A dozen amazing kites with beautiful geometric designs. The kites had longtails made from old homework cut into strips, perhaps to celebrate the end of the school year.On the kites the children wrote messages, messages like “the children of Gaza deserve freedom”and “end the siege”. We went out to the hills east of Beit Hanoun, on a beautiful Tuesday morning to fly the kites. The wind was brisk, the air was beautiful, the kites soared into the air. After admiring them for a while, the strings were cut, the kites sailed across the wall towards Sderot, hopefully the messages carried by the kites will be read and understood.
Kids being kids, the camp also provides games and sports. Days were organized to play football,basketball, volleyball and jump rope. The children participated in a 1k race; the five winners received t-shirts. There was even a trip to the beach so the children could go swimming. That was, obviously, a very popular day for the children. Going to the beach is one of the few trips that children can take in Gaza; the siege prevents them from leaving, even from going to the West Bank or Jerusalem.
The children also learned about being part of a community. One day was devoted to cleaning the streets of Beit Hanoun. Sixty hands makes light work. They left a mural across from Fursan Al Ghad for everyone to appreciate.
Perhaps the best day though, was the last day. The children went to club where they could ride horses and camels. After being entertained for a few hours of singing dancing clowns, the horses were brought out. The children were entranced. Even the ones that were afraid couldn’tpass up the opportunity to ride the horses. They also enjoyed seeing their teachers ride horses,some for the first time. After they were finished riding horses the children came to the port of Gaza. At the port, they boarded boats, and went to sea, some for the first time. They did this in memory of Vik, who loved the sea, and loved the fishermen that worked there.
Fursan al Ghad strove to not only provide the children with fun things to do over the summer,but to show the children that they can have a positive effect on their community, to help themfind their voice in the struggle for freedom and justice. Fursan Al Ghad remembered not onlythe music of Vik, not only Bella Ciao, but also that struggle was part of Vik. The children notonly sang, like Vik, they raised their voices against the occupation. For this, thank you Fursan AlGhad, for remembering all of Vik.
