Tag: Gaza

Report by Donna Wallach – ISM and Free Gaza Movement volunteer reporting on fishing boat actions from Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestine.

Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestine,19th September, 2008. On the morning of Friday 19th September and the 19th day of Ramadan, about 5 Palestinian fishing boats left Gaza City port for another day of trawling off the coast of Gaza Strip. It was a very clear day and I could easily see the coast the entire day.

When the boat I was on reached 7 miles out, an Israeli Naval gunboat speedily approached and fired at the fishing boat. One of the soldiers called for the captain of the boat and yelled at him to stop the boat. Continuing in a derogatory tone of voice, the Israeli soldier told the captain to only sail up and down the coast and not to go further out into the sea. The captain told the soldier that he needed to go out 10 miles to trawl for fish. I also spoke to the gunboat and reiterated that the fishermen needed to go out ten miles. This time the gunboat did not continue to fire upon this boat. I think in the end we only went out to eight miles. For the remainder of the day we were able to trawl for fish in relative peace.

However, just after the sun went going down, after the meal for breaking the fast for the day, an Israeli Naval gunboat fired upon another Palestinian fishing boat and we heard over the VHF radio an international tell the Israeli Navy “We are Palestinian fishermen, fishing in Palestinian waters. Stop shooting!”

In the evening, the captain of the boat told me that it costs him $1,000 a day of diesel fuel to power his fishing boat. Considering that the catch for the day was small, as it often is for the Palestinian fishermen up and down the coast, it is hard to understand how they succeed to make a living. In addition to the exceptionally high cost of fuel, there are either no spare parts for broken, damaged, or lost equipment, or the cost of the spare parts are ten times the normal cost – the Israeli siege continues to impact every aspect of Palestinian life. The siege must end, now!

Fukharee, Gaza Strip, Palestine – On Monday, 15th September 2008, volunteers with ISM Rafah participated in an action with Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) in symbolically planting trees in the buffer zone in Fukharee area, north of Rafah.

The buffer zone is the agricultural area, established by Israeli Occupation Forces, about 300 meters wide along the entire eastern side of the Gaza Strip, where farmers are prohibited from farming their land. In some areas it is wider than 300 meters. These areas have become very dangerous for the Palestinians to live and farm. The buffer zone is another form of siege and denies the Palestinians right to livelihood, feeding their families, freedom of movement and to live in Peace. This is all happening during the so-called cease fire.

ISM volunteers met at UAWC office in Khan Younis before joining with a few hundred UAWC activists from Khan Younis. Two buses and four cars transported all the volunteers, the trees and the shovels to Fukharee, close to the Green Line. Upon arriving some people noticed the telltale dust of an Israeli tank and then it appeared from behind some trees off in the distance.

All the volunteers got off the buses and started walking toward the dedicated field holding 3 banners and chanting “Free, Free Palestine” among others in Arabic. Various news agencies and independent video cameras were recording the event.

In the designated field the trees were put on the ground and a few volunteers from ISM and UAWC started digging holes to plant olive, guava and citrus trees. About 100 hundred trees were planted by the end of the action. Although the ISM volunteers were there to reclaim the land and demand that Israel stop destroying the crops in the area, the action was a symbolic one. UAWC plans to continue doing various similar actions throughout the Gaza Strip in and near the buffer zones.

Gazan Territorial Fishing Waters, Gaza Strip. 17th September 2008. On Wednesday 17th September I, along with two other volunteers from ISM Rafah, went out with three different fishing boats from the Gaza City port to trawl for fish. We left the port at about 8:30am.

I was on a boat with fishermen I already knew. We went out about seven and a half miles, put out the net and began to trawl. It wasn’t long before an Israeli Naval gunboat approached, and circled around. The fishermen requested from me to speak with the Israeli Navy. I did make contact with them, telling them that “we were Palestinian fishermen fishing in Gazan waters. Palestinians have the right to fish in Gazan waters, they have the right to a livelihood and to feed their families.”

Someone on the Israeli Naval gunboat said in Hebrew that it was forbidden for the Palestinian fishermen to be out past six miles. I replied that according to International Law, the Palestinian fishermen had the right to fish beyond twelve miles in their territorial waters. His response was to call me “bitch”. Soon after the gunboat opened fire on the fishing boat, aiming, what appeared to me to be toward the center of the boat. The fishermen quickly pulled in their net, not wanting their boat or any of the equipment to be damaged by the gunfire.

We drove back towards the Gaza coast until we reached about six miles out and began trawling again. The gunboat came by again and circled around menacingly. Off in the distance we saw the large Israelli Naval gunboat that has the water cannon stationed at the fore of the boat. We were expecting to get drenched, but were pleasantly surprised when it continued past us without stopping or even aiming the water cannon at us.

The Israeli Navy contacted the boat via VHF again reiterating that it was forbidden for them to fish out beyond six miles. This is an abomination! The large quantities of fish are out beyond the six mile limit, as are the larger fish. The fishermen need to be able to fish in their territorial waters, when and where they want.

It is an outrage that Israeli Naval gunboats patrol the Territorial Gazan Waters at will. They harass, threaten, shoot, damage and terrorize the Palestinian fishermen, their boats and fishing equipment. The Israeli Navy often limits the Palestinian fishermen from fishing beyond three or four miles, and sometimes they aren’t permitted to fish at all – this would not be tolerated any place else in the world. Fishing is one of the few sources of Palestinian food left in Gaza Strip. The Israeli Occupation Forces have destroyed much of the farm land and have established an illegal buffer zone on much of the agricultural farm land within the Strip, denying Palestinian farmers their livelihood and the right to feed their families. Making 80% of the Palestinians living in Gaza Strip totally dependent on food aid from UNWRA.

It is time that these collective punishments upon the entire population of Gaza Strip end. The Palestinian people have the human right to live in freedom. Parents have the human right to provide for their children. Children have the human right to go to school and students have the human right to attend University. Farmers have the right to farm their land and fishermen have the right to fish in Gazan territorial waters. This siege must end. Be creative, put pressure on the Apartheid State of Israel to end the siege now – tell your families, your friends, your co-workers that this situation can no longer be tolerated. Ban the Israeli Navy from Gazan Territorial Waters.

Tonight (17th September), members of the ISM in the Gaza strip will be staying with a family in the Al Faraheen neighborhood of Abassan Al Kabeera, between Khan Younis and Deir El Balah in Southern Gaza.

The family’s home is situated a few hundred meters from the Green Line and the area has suffered a number of Israeli military incursions, the most recent of which was on 1st May this year, resulting in widespread agricultural damage.

During this attack, Israeli tanks and bulldozers surrounded the family’s home and snipers took up positions in two houses opposite. Israeli soldiers with dogs entered their house and searched it, causing damage and terrorizing the children.

The family have stayed with neighbors ever since, but their future is uncertain. Despite the ceasefire which began in June, there is regular shooting into the neighborhood from Israeli watchtowers and tanks on the Green Line. The most recent incident was three days a go. The family’s home has been shot into multiple times and many of their personal belongings have been damaged or destroyed. The ISM activists will monitor the situation and support the family in the event of any Israeli aggression .