were Palestinian fishermen working with their nets on the shore [EPA]
Relatives of Jihad Khalaf, one of the three men killed,
held his funeral in the Gaza Strip on Thursday [Reuters]
Israeli soldiers have killed three Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza-Israeli border, Palestinian medics have said.
Gaza's ministry of health said on Thursday that the men were killed overnight in the north of Gaza, near Beit Lahiya, while they were working with their nets on the shore.
The medics said that the victims were shot by Israeli forces before dawn.
But the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the men were "militants" plotting to plant explosives.
"Overnight, an IDF force identified a number of Palestinian militants approaching the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip, in an attempt to plant explosive devices.
"Thwarting the attempt, the force fired at the militants, hitting three of them," the statement said.
Residents said they had heard gunfire in the area.
Adham Abu Selmiya, a spokesman for the Hamas-run emergency services, told the AFP news agency that the men died after being hit by a tank shell and machine gun fire in an area called Al-Waha, which lies close to both the shore and the northern border with Israel.
Abu Selmiya identified the men as Jihad Khalaf, 20, Talaat al-Awagh, 25 and Ashraf al-Kteifan, 29.
INCREASED TENSIONS
Israel often carries out strikes against Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Increased tensions over the Gaza border have raised concerns about a new Israeli invasion of the coastal enclave like the devastating 22-day offensive which began at the end of December 2008.
Around 1,400 Palestinians were killed in the operation, more than half of them civilians. Thirteen Israelis, 10 of them soldiers, also died.
THIS INFORMATION OFFERS A WHOLE NEW LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN PALESTINE, ESPECIALLY GAZA!
THE ELITE AND CORPORATE INTERESTS
HAVE SLAUGHTERED PEOPLE OVER NATURAL ASSETS BEFORE.
PALESTINE HAS BEEN STRUGGLING FOR 60+ YEARS NOW,
JUST HOW MUCH OF THE STRUGGLE TODAY DUE TO
THE SAME CAUSE OF DECADES,
OR THE RELATIVELY NEW CAUSE
OF BLACK GOLD?
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MATTER!
A rain of fire over Gaza
Everybody knows Israel does not possess any oil and gas.
Right?
Right.
As former Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir stated:
“Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!" ~ Golda Meir
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli government are going to extreme lengths to prevent these Freedom Flotillas from getting directly to the Gaza shore.
Why?
Are the Israelis trying to hide something?
The political leaders in Gaza are using unyielding military discipline and truly have nothing left to lose; or do they?
As a result of this huge contrast,
the common people of Gaza die like flies
before a rigid, unflinching onslaught
of US supplied F16s, bunker buster missiles,
GBU-39 smart bombs,
Israeli main battle tanks and small arms fire.
Why the slaughter of ready and willing to die, dirt poor Palestinians?
Is THIS what all the fuss could possibly be about?
The thought is not so very far fetched, is it?
It appears the Freedom Flotilla sailing to Gaza would go through a thicket of off shore oil and gas rigs and wells. The wells are sucking an estimated minimum of US$6 Billion Dollars of Palestinian off shore Natural Gas through rigs set up for slant drilling.
If the fishermen have been kept ashore due to this oil development, as I have suggested in the past, could not the slaughter of peace activists on a humanitarian mission be an attempt to keep this development secret as well?
If this information was connected in the eyes of the world, there might be a slightly different understanding to the current struggles. And if this is so, learning who is involved in this fabulously large deposit could certainly alter international perceptions of what goes on in Gaza.
The drilling consultant on the hidden project is the former Noble Drilling Company of Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA, experts in “oil field management.”
They are also allegedly experts in illegal slant drilling techniques Noble pioneered in the early Oklahoma oil fields back in the day.
Slant drilling is the best way to steal your neighbors’ oil and gas.
So much so that the formerly oil and gas-poor Israel of Prime Minister Golda Meir is now floating the idea of Natural Gas exports to the European Union (EU) of presumably Palestinian Natural Gas.
Future Freedom Flotillas are said to specifically have escorts from the Turkish Navy. The Turkish Air Force version of the American F-16 Fighting Falcons were not mentioned. The Turkish Navy protection is symbolic and problematic without the Turkish F-16s. Will the Turkish government commit their 200 plus F-16s?
Small world, eh?
Greed and force of arms count.
Always have.
Always will.
Notes:
Google “Gaza Marine 1” and “Gaza Marine 2” for well specific information of the coast of Gaza.
I have written on this possibility of gas off the shores of Gaza as reason for the extreme force used against the fishermen of Gaza, the reason their allowed fishing zone has been shrunk year after year. I reported that Israel, Egypt, and Britain were involved in the exploration and exploitation of this off shore drilling.
In 1999 the British Gas Group (later BG Group) discovered significant deposits of natural gas under the water 10 to 15 nautical miles off the shore of Gaza. The deposits, named Gaza Marine 1 and 2, are estimated to contain up to 1.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas or the energy equivalent of 150 million barrels of oil. They are currently valued at some 4 billion dollars.
On 11/8/99 Chairman Yasser Arafat signed an agreement giving BG Group 90 percent interest and 10 per cent to Consolidated Contractors Company, an Athens based Palestinian entity connected to the PLO.
A final allocation of the rights continues to be contested between BG Group, Israel, Egypt and the Palestinians in obscured ongoing negotiations.
The Israelis began their program of killing and harassing the Gazan fishermen only after the discovery of the natural gas deposits. It is a reasonable assumption that the two events are linked: That the Israelis are asserting control over this resource valued at over 4 billion dollars; And that they are intent on denying any benefit to the Palestinians regardless of who controls Gaza.
My $.02 of Snippits and Snappits are in the dark green. For some reason this morning I had more trouble than usual not adding a few pithy and rather impolite comments about Sharon and his thieving ilk but I think I managed. ooops, maybe not! oh, nevermind!!
Why is Israel so interested in the waters off the Gaza coast? Why did the attacks on Gazan fishermen start in 2000?
In 1999 the British Gas Group (later BG Group) discovered significant deposits of natural gas under the water 10 to 15 nautical miles off the shore of Gaza. The deposits, named Gaza Marine 1 and 2, are estimated to contain up to 1.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas or the energy equivalent of 150 million barrels of oil. They are currently valued at some 4 billion dollars.
BG Group initially drafted an agreement sharing the resource between the Palestinian Authority, Egyptian interests and themselves. Under pressure from Tony Blair, BG group replaced Egypt with Israel in the consortium, although Egypt is once again involved.
A COUNTRY OF TRAITORS TO THEIR OWN PEOPLE, EGYPT'S BEHAVIOUR IN ALL THINGS PALESTINIAN IS ONCE AGAIN, DESPICABLE.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accord the Palestinians were allowed to use a sea corridor extending 20 nautical miles out from the Gaza shoreline for fishing and recreational purposes. For the next 7 years the Gazans fished throughout this corridor without restrictions by the Israelis.
But in 2000, less than a year after the natural gas discovery, Israeli warships began attacking fishing vessels that traveled further than 6 nm from shore. Since then at least 15 fishermen have been killed and over 200 injured. The practice has continued since the Operation Lead ceasefire went into effect. More fishermen have been killed and injured and the boats are now attacked when they travel beyond 3 miles.
Another naval bombardment to frighten off the local fishermen further restricting the sources of livelihood for the blockaded Gazans.The naval bombardments frighten off the local fishermen further restricting the sources of livelihood for the blockaded sliver.
This particular facet of Israel's widespread violations of international law connecting gas and fishermen is not widely known. These pages will be devoted to a detailed account of its background and of related developments as they unfold.
This was what fishing for the day was like BEFORE the Israelis began their brutal attack on the Fishermen of Galilee. These men fed their families and supported them well. Now, they are lucky to get home alive with maybe a handful of fish. Starvation is just a lovely bonus as far as the Israelis are concerned. Money of course comes first.
TIMELINE OF GAZA MARINE ZONE,
FISHERMEN AND NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
(updated 24th February 2009)
BACKGROUND: There is an historical connection between the Gazan community and the off shore fishery. In recent times some 3000 fishermen in over 700 boats made their livelihood in the waters off the shores of Gaza. Before 1978 when the fishing area included the sea off the Sinai coastline the area covered some 75,000 square kilometers.
The larger boats are about 20 meters in length and usually carry a crew of 7. They are typically trawlers using downriggers to lower their nets to the ocean bed. Currently their main catch is bream or sardines that average between 8 and 14 inches. The smallest craft are rowboats normally used to deploy nets a few hundred meters off shore. The nets are then hauled in by hand from the beach. These catches are very modest.
After the 1994 GAZA-JERICHO AGREEMENT the fishermen were free to use a corridor extending 20 nautical miles from the Gaza shore bounded by restricted zones to the north and south abutting Israeli and Egyptian waters. After the UN's 2002 Bertini proposal the approved location was reduced to an area within 12 nautical miles of the coast. More recently the area available has been reduced to 300 square kilometers.
Beginning in late 2000 the Israeli military began a brutal campaign of intimidation and harassment against the fishing boats that ventured near or beyond a 6 nautical mile limit. No formal notice or explanation was ever given to the Palestinians. Or the rest of the world. Instead the regulation was written and enforced by Israeli machine guns and water cannons often shooting filthy and contaminated water. At least 15 fishermen have been killed by the Israelis, over 200 injured and numerous boats damaged or impounded.
Since the ceasefire concluding Operation Lead the attacks by Israeli gunboats on the Gazan fishing boats has become more aggressive with assaults taking place less than 2 miles off shore. Gazans walking on the beach have been wounded by gunfire intended for the fishing boats.
GAZA SEA DEMONSTRATION
WHY?
In the late 1990's the British Gas Group (BG Group) discovered a vast deposit of natural gas under the waters off Gaza: Over 1 trillion cubic feet equal to 150 million barrels of oil was estimated to be there. A significantly smaller deposit was also found in nearby Israeli waters.
On 11/8/99 Chairman Yasser Arafat signed an agreement giving BG Group 90 percent interest and 10 per cent to Consolidated Contractors Company, an Athens based Palestinian entity connected to the PLO.
A final allocation of the rights continues to be contested between BG Group, Israel, Egypt and the Palestinians in obscured ongoing negotiations.
The Israelis began their program of killing and harassing the Gazan fishermen only after the discovery of the natural gas deposits. It is a reasonable assumption that the two events are linked: That the Israelis are asserting control over this resource valued at over 4 billion dollars; And that they are intent on denying any benefit to the Palestinians regardless of who controls Gaza.
Fishing boats anchored at Gaza's fishing port at sunset, March 2008. Israel's reduced fuel shipments have grounded boats as well as cars. Not only do they steal these natural resources, but they severely limit shipments to Palestine. (Wissam Nassar/MaanImages)
TIMELINE:
May 4, 1994:
PLO Chairman Yasser Araft and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed The Gaza-Jericho Agreement. Article XI established three Maritime Activity Zones that extended out to sea 20 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza. Two narrow Zones running parallel to the boundaries of Egyptian and Israeli waters were designated No Fishing Areas. Under the terms of the Agreement the larger remaining Zone "will be open for fishing, recreation and economic activities."
The Agreement defined the main Maritime Activity Zone as extending out 20 nm from shore. However the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea Part V describes an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that would grant Gaza control of all seabed assets up to 200 nm from its shore. There is speculation that even greater deposits are located under these waters that would give Gaza the potential of becoming another Dubai in a relatively short period if they were allowed to develop their own resources.
For the next 6 years the Gazan fishermen operated freely within the main Marine Activity Zone with no major confrontations with the Israelis.
JULY 17, 2009 ~ Israeli warships opened fire on the shores of the Gaza Strip on Friday morning. Fishermen were scared away, but no damage or injuries were reported.
1999:
The British Gas Group (later BG Group) began explorations off the Israeli and Gazan coasts for natural gas. A modest deposit was found in Israeli waters close to the Gaza Marine Activity Zone. A significantly larger deposit was found in a section of this Zone centered some 10 to 15 nautical miles offshore. It was estimated that there were sufficient reserves to generate electric power for all Palestinian needs for a decade and still have surplus to export.
July 25, 2000:
Yasser Arafat walked out on the Camp David meeting.
September 27, 2000:
Yasser Arafat traveled 19 miles off the Gaza coast to light the first flare stack flowing up from the natural gas deposit. An Israeli oil consortium had contested the Palestinian rights to the gas but was overturned in an Israeli court.
The initial agreement with the BG Group gave them 90 percent interest and 10 percent to Consolidated Contractors Company, an Athens based Palestinian group. They and the Palestinian Investment Fund (PIF) had the option to later assume up to 40 per cent interest. Original estimates for development and production expenses were in the area of 2 billion dollars. Profits were estimated at another 2 billion dollars.
July 3, 2009,these "boats" were targeted by the warships. No injuries.
In the initial stages BG considered running an underwater pipeline 20 nautical miles from the Marine Zone directly to Gaza where it would be used in retrofitted generators to provide power. Excess gas would be piped to the West Bank or converted to Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) for export to foreign buyers.
This plan was abandoned when the Israelis said they would never buy the gas directly from the Palestinians. (OF COURSE NOT. WHY BUY WHEN YOU CAN STEAL? OOPS, I FORGOT, ACCORDING TO THE TALMUD, AS MERE BEASTS, GOYIM'S DESIRES DO NOT MATTER AND THEY HAVE NO RIGHTS WHEN A JEW WANTS A PARTICULAR ITEM. ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS TAKE IT BECAUSE THEY ARE THE CHOSEN ONES) At that point the BG Group negotiated with Egypt to run an undersea pipeline designed to import the gas to a plant at El-Arish. The gas would then be piped to Israel that would not have to deal directly with the Palestinians.
Under pressure from Tony Blair, BG Group was forced to negotiate with the Israelis instead who wanted the pipe to run directly to Ashqelon. Those discussions were so long and contentious that ultimately the BG Group closed their Israel office and again began dealing with Egypt.
That action in itself speaks volumes when it comes to dealing with these creatures. GOD to them, is Gold, Oil, Drugs and for these things they are driven by a lust most cannot even begin to comprehend.
Knowing exactly what he was doing, Zionist thug Ariel Sharon visited Temple Mount with full intention of infuriating Muslims and provoking the 2nd Intifada. It is taking a great deal of self control not to add comments about this thing and stick to the facts.
September 28, 2000:
The Butcher of the MidEast, Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount despite warnings by Arafat and other leading Palestinians. This was an unspoken but undeniable provcation designed to push the Palestinians to war, the proverbial slap of the glove across the cheek. The predictable riots and deaths following this provocation marked the beginning of 2nd Intafada.
Sharon was elected Prime Minister in February 2001. He vowed that Israel would never buy gas from the Palestinians. After the outbreak of the 2nd Intafada, the Israelis began an ever-tightening blockade of Gaza with fewer and fewer trucks allowed to enter.
Late 2000:
Attacks by Israeli patrol boats against Gazan fishing boats began and have continued to this day. These attacks began only after the discovery of the natural gas deposits and 5 years before Hamas freely won the legislative elections on January 25, 2006. It is apparent that these assaults on the fishermen had nothing to do with security or with Hamas. Instead it had everything to do with a 4 billion dollar resource belonging to the Palestinians.
JULY 22: A Palestinian fisherman shows his catch July 22, 2007 in Gaza City
There is an Israeli drilling platform a short way north of the Gaza Marine Zone. Although there is no evidence supporting speculation at this time it is feasible for the Israelis to access the gas deposits located in the Marine Zone. Slant drilling techniques allow bits to reach 10-15000 feet horizontally from a standing platform. Iraq accused Kuwait of stealing its oil using this technique.
August, 2002:
In response to a request from Prime Minister Sharon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed Ms. Catherine Bertini as his Personal Humanitarian Envoy to asses humanitarian needs of the Palestinians.
At the end of her visit to the area she made numerous recommendations including one that dealt with the fishing boats. In her report she included a list of "Previous Commitments Made by Israel". Item 2 states: "The fishing zone for Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast is 12 nautical miles. This policy needs to be fully implemented." But never was!
This was just another delaying tactic for propaganda purposes to make it seem Israel actually gave a flying toot about these people they wish to erase from the planet.
Although the attacks occurred throughout the Maritime Activity Zone they were more common once a boat had passed a 6-mile limit. Most boats now carry GPS's in order to know their exact positions.
Some captains are intimidated by the Israeli threat and turn back before crossing the line. Others go further despite the increased danger from the Israelis. The fishery closer to shore has collapsed after so many boats were forced to operate in such a limited area.
In addition the waters near shore are polluted due to sewage pouring in from broken pipes. One more consequence of an infrastructure crippled by the Israelis.
Since the outset of these assaults at least 15 fishermen have been killed and over 200 injured. Boats continue to be damaged or impounded.
9/12/05
Israel announced that it had ended the occupation of Gaza and withdrew its forces. It continued to maintain control of air and sea-lanes as well as all border crossings on land.
1/25/06
Hamas won 76 of 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council in an open honest election. After a bloody battle with Fatah elements Hamas took control of Gaza. Israel and the United States branded Hamas a terrorist organization and have had no public contact with it thereafter. The restrictions at the border crossings were tightened further with severe limitations on the traffic of produce, materials, medicines and people. Anemia and malnutrition are widespread as a result.
Gosh that is their own fault. After all they VOTED Hamas in so they deserve what they get. THIS is the common reaction of most Jews.
Early June 2008
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the Israel Defense Forces to covertly prepare for an invasion of Gaza to be known as operation "Cast Lead".
June, 2008
Israel contacted BG Group to propose reopening negotiations over the natural gas deposits. Actual negotiations overseen by Ehud Olmert were taking place in October, 2008. It appears that Israel wished to reach an agreement with BG Group before the secretly planned invasion began.
6/19/08
Hamas and Israel signed a 6-month truce agreement calling for cessation of rocket firings by Hamas and military incursions by Israel. In May over 300 rockets had been fired.
Hamas was lead to believe that significant increase in shipments would be allowed to enter Gaza. Before the truce roughly 70 trucks were allowed to bring provisions into Gaza each day compared with some 900 permitted before the Israeli clamped down in 2000.
Hamas believed that a similar flow of traffic would be restored. Instead Israel allowed only an increase from the 70 to 90 trucks.
11/5/08
IDF forces killed 6 Palestinians while supposedly searching for a tunnel passing under the border. In effect the truce was over after this provocation. During the next 5 weeks 237 rockets were fired into Israel compared with the 1 fired in September and 2 in October before the IDF attack. The increase in rocket fire was Israel's public justification for launching the long planned "Cast Lead" invasion.
11/18/08
An Egyptian court ordered the government to stop shipping natural gas to Israel. Under a 2005 agreement, Egypt agreed to deliver 1.7 billion cubic meters of gas to Israel over a 15-year period. The gas began to flow in May, 2008. A
lawsuit followed seeking to bar delivery since the Parliament had not given its approval. The court supported the lawsuit and its findings are being appealed. The potential cutoff of the gas from Egypt gave Israel even more incentive to take control of the Gaza Marine deposits and to deny any benefits to Palestinians whether Hamas or Fatah.
11/18/08
Israeli naval vessels attacked three Palestinian fishing boats located seven miles off the coast of Deir Al Balah, clearly within the limits permitted in the 1994 Gaza-Jericho Agreement.
Fifteen Palestinian fishermen and three international observers were kidnapped and taken with the boats to Israel. The fishermen were held for a day and then released. The boats were eventually returned but damaged. The internationals were jailed in Israel for many days and then deported.
12/27/08
Israel began bombing Gaza as phase 1 of operation "Cast Lead".
1/18/2009
Israel declares ceasefire ending "Cast Lead".
1/24/2009
A father and his daughter walking on a Gaza beach were wounded by gunfire from Israeli ships shooting at Gazan fishing boats.
2/14/2009 ~ GAZAN COAST BECOMING A "NO-GO" ZONE
On Saturday 14th February, 23 year-old Rafiq abu Reala was shot by Israeli naval forces whilst fishing in Gazan territorial waters, approximately two nautical miles out from the port of Gaza city. He was in a simple fishing vessel, not much larger than a rowing boat, with a small outboard engine, known locally as a 'hassaka'.
Rafiq, his brother Rajab and another friend were following the course of a shoal of fish. A group of five more hassakas were out at the time, about a kilometre to the west of Rafiq's boat, further out to sea. An Israeli naval gunboat approached the area and began shooting at the other hassakas, which quickly changed course and headed east, back towards shore.
Suddenly Rafiq realised the gunboat was bearing down on their hassaka. As he recounted the events of that day, Rafiq likened the predatory nature of the naval vessel to that of a wolf.
It circled their fishing boat and began shooting heavy ammunition in their direction. The three terrified fishermen threw themselves down flat in the bottom of their boat. The Israeli captain ordered them via megaphone to raise their nets and leave the area.
At this point the gunboat was less then 20 metres from Rafiq's hassaka. The second time the gunboat came around no attempt was made to communicate with the fishermen. Rafiq was desperately pulling in the nets with his back facing the gunboat. An M-16 assault rifle was fired hitting him twice with explosive 'dum-dum' bullets, which peppered his back with shrapnel from the bullets themselves.
Typical fishing boat from Rafah.
The force of the shots threw him in the water, plunging him down about six or seven metres below the surface. Rajab asked their friend to control the boat while he rescued Rafiq.
Being a strong swimmer, he dived in after Rafiq and pulled him out of the water into the hassaka. However, Rafiq was unconscious by this time. The outboard was being slowed down by the weight of the nets so they headed towards another hassaka 300 metres away where they dumped the nets.
The fishermen in this vessel had a mobile phone and made an emergency call. The stricken hassaka reached port at the same time as the ambulance arrived and Rafiq was taken to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza city in a serious condition.
It could take Rafiq months to fully recover yet he has a family to support. He married just six months ago and his wife is now expecting their first baby. After five years of working as a fisherman, he has experienced Israeli naval forces firing warning shots on many occasions but this was the first time he has been directly targeted.
However, Rajab survived being shot in the chest by the Israeli navy two and a half years ago. It is sobering to note that 15 Gazan fishermen have been killed by the Israeli navy since 2000. Rafiq described the level shooting on Saturday like an open war.
Fishermen were attacked from Wadi Gaza, south of Gaza city, all the way to the north of Gaza. A number of hassakas were targeted that day, some vessels sustaining serious damage from the shooting.
Palestinian fishermen have come under daily assaults from Israeli gunboats since Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire which supposedly came into force on 18th January. Reports of heavy gunfire and even missile fire are now becoming the 'norm'. Rafiq is the third Gazan fisherman to be shot by the Israeli navy during this non-existant ceasefire.
On 26th January, Alaa al-Habil was shot in the lower leg whilst trawling less than one nautical mile off the coast of Gaza.
On 6th February, Mahmoud al-Nadar was shot in both legs whilst 1.5 nautical miles off the coast of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. Nowadays it is unthinkable for fishermen to venture beyond three nautical miles from the Gazan coast, with many vessels staying just metres from the beach. However, Gazan territorial waters reach 12 nautical miles offshore ~ indeed, the Oslo Accords grant a fishing zone extending as far as 20 nautical miles.
Israel is attempting to create arbitrary 'no-go' zones in the sea ~ enforced solely by the gun. They might succeed if it weren't for the resilience of the fishermen. All this is akin to what is happening on land.
The Israeli Occupation Force has declared an area of Palestinian land a kilometre in from the Green Line a 'closed military zone', affecting an audacious land grab that threatens to swallow a vast swathe of rich agricultural land all the way along the eastern length of the Gaza strip.
Although the violations of law and basic human rights to the Gazan fishermen pale in comparison to the recent horrors that have unfolded they should be addressed and prosecuted in the future.
David K. Schermerhorn Deer Harbor, WA 98243 djschermerhorn@aol.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 2/24/2009 (Schermerhorn has been to Gaza 3 times in recent months aboard Free Gaza (freegaza.org ) boats. He spent two days aboard fishing boats that were harassed by machine gun fire and assaulted by water cannons.)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SITUATION OF THE FISHERMEN, THIS IS THE OFFICIAL PALESTINIAN SITE AND IS KEPT UP TO DATE. ~FISHING UNDER FIRE
Gaza/USA- On June 30, 2009 around 3:30 PM, 23 miles off the coast of Gaza, Israeli Naval Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY and abducted 21 human rights workers representing 11 countries.
Noble laureate Mairead Maguire was on board for her second time as was former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney who just prior to her kidnapping remarked,
“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip. President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. We're asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”
The Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in despair” [June 29, 2009 International Committee of the Red Cross report] directly attributed to having to pay the price for voting for Hamas in 2006 after they rightly lost all hope in the corrupt Fatah to end the Israeli occupation.
From December 27 to January 18th, Israel's war on Gaza killed more than 1,400 Palestinians ~ over 900 were civilians ~ and destroyed over 4,000 homes and buildings which displaced over 50,000 human persons who had already been tied to the whipping post of three years of economic blockade.
Despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, Israel refuses to allow items into Gaza, including building material and medical supplies.
Mairead Maguire, who won the Noble Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland said, “The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of Gaza, hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be able to transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the schools, hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the onslaught of "Cast Lead”.
Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza Movement chairperson and delegation co-coordinator said, "It is crucial that we continue sending boats to Gaza to challenge Israel's criminal closure on the Strip. Gaza does not need our charity but needs us to stand up against the forces that continue to deliberately deny an entire people their human rights.
"International donors pledged over $4 billion to rebuild Gaza, and yet none of them are doing anything about the fact that Israel is not allowing any building supplies into Gaza, not to mention thousands of other items such as anesthetic, oxygen and cancer treatments, chlorine to treat the water supply, even paper, books, toys for children as well as tea and coffee.
"Our mission is a gesture to the people of Gaza that we stand by them and that they are not alone. No one could possibly believe that our small boat constitutes any sort of threat to Israel. We carry medical and reconstruction supplies, and children’s toys.
"Our passengers include a Nobel peace prize laureate and a former U.S. congressperson. Our boat was searched and received a security clearance by Cypriot Port Authorities before we departed, and at no time did we ever approach Israeli waters. Israel’s deliberate and premeditated attack on our unarmed boat is a clear violation of international law and we demand our immediate and unconditional release.”
Until Israel ends the siege and opens the borders the tunnel economy will continue to serve to import and export and palms are greased on all sides while the innocent people pay the highest price.
All along the border of Rafah, lies a city of tents covering the tunnels, many have generators and one even transported a lion that woke up too soon, I was informed by CODE PINK activists who had reached Gaza through Egypt in May-June 2009, but I was stuck at Erez for the second time.
My first time was on November 18, 2008, when Mairead Maguire and forty seven international ecumenical Christians and other people of faith rolled out of bed before 5 AM to travel from Jerusalem to the Erez Crossing in the Gaza Strip.
We went to stand up as a united people of conscience in NONVIOLENT Solidarity with the people of Gaza and in support of all the NGO’s that have been denied access into the Gaza Strip for over two weeks.
We went in love and for love of all of God’s children;
Be they the oppressed or the oppressors
Those imprisoned by walls and those who erect them,
Those who are denied clean water and their deniers, Those whose fears rule their hearts and the heartbroken,
Those whose ideology, greed, apathy,and power blind them to their culpability, responsibilities and obligations. We went with hope to arouse the consciencesof the leaders of the world to seek peace
through justice; equal human rights for all.
Some media turned out for the NGO meeting we attended in the parking lot at Erez Crossing ~ NOT USA media needless to say. (Or Canada's)
Israel and the USA both signed the Geneva Convention.
That makes them BOTH legally, morally and ethically RESPONSIBLE for the 1.5 million open air prisoners of Gaza. 60% are children under the age of 16 years old.
In the afternoon, of that same day, Israeli forces kidnapped at gunpoint nonviolent internationals connected with ISM who were on board a Gaza fishing boat in international waters.
ISM is a Palestinian-led movement that resists the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land in creative and nonviolent ways.
ISM was founded by a few committed thoughtful people in August, 2001 and supports and strengthens the Palestinian popular resistance by providing international presence and a voice that cannot be silenced.
Donna and Darlene Wallach ~ two brave American Jewish women
ISM volunteer, Darlene Wallach of California arrived in Gaza aboard a FREE GAZA Movement boat but while on a Gaza fishing boat she was kidnapped at gunpoint by Israeli forces and then deported to New York City on Thanksgiving Day, 2008.
Darlene arrived without money, passport, cell phone, warm winter clothes and without a way of contacting her family and friends in California, London, or Cyprus.
I spoke with Darlene a few days after her arrival at the home of the parents of an International Solidarity Movement/ISM activist who met her at JFK Airport and took her in.
Darlene said, "It began around ten in the morning on the 18th. I was with 15 fishermen and Andrew and Vittorio; all on three typical wooden Palestinian fishing boats. The usual response from the Israeli Naval Forces who illegally invade Gaza water zones, is to shoot machine guns, canons, grenades.
They do a lot of damage to the boats with targeted high pressure water canons. Those water canons have cracked peoples ribs and one of the nonviolent activists was nearly washed over board from the force. The Palestinian fishing boats have sustained a lot of damage from the high pressured water fired from the water canon.
The Israeli navy has also used some kind of "dirty water". We still don't know what the Israeli Forces are mixing in that water, but it smells like putrid sewage and they wear protective clothing ~ masks, gloves and what ever else, to keep themselves protected from the liquid they shoot at the fishing boats, the catch in the nets and at the Palestinian fishermen and internationals who are in Gaza territorial waters.
"On that Tuesday morning, the Israeli Forces had three gunboats that were joined by five Zodiacs. Zodiacs are inflatable, high-speed maneuverable water craft. The Zodiacs came right up to each wooden fishing boat one at a time.
I saw them board the boat Andrew was on ~ he raised his arms above his head and they put a life vest on him and put him on the Zodiac. Then more Israeli Forces boarded that boat and began putting the Palestinian fishermen on another Zodiac. Usually the Israeli Forces do not board the fishing boats. They order the fishermen to strip and then swim over to the Israeli boat. This time was different.
"When I saw the Zodiacs, I tried to text on my cell phone but there was no network. By some miracle, I received a phone call and told the person what was happening. A little later the captain, Adham, handed me his phone as Fida, the ISM-Gaza Strip Palestinian coordinator called to talk with me, she could not get through on my phone. If I had not received that first phone call I don't know how our friends in Gaza would have known what happened to us.
"After they finished with the boat Andrew was on, a Zodiac came and Israeli Forces boarded the boat I was on. One of the Israelis said in English "you are in Israel."
"We were in Gaza waters and I did not want to go to Israel, but the Israeli Forces kidnapped me at gunpoint and forced me to Israel against my will. We were told in English to raise our hands.
"I said, 'I want to stay with my friends. I want to stay on the boat.' The three notebooks I had with me were confiscated. At gunpoint I was forced off the Palestinian boat, onto the Israeli Zodiac and then onto the Israeli gunboat.
"I saw the Palestinian fishermen, blindfolded and handcuffed, taken from the boat Andrew was on. I said I wanted to stay with my friends on the deck. I was then forced below to the second level and I finally saw Andrew again. He was handcuffed and sitting at a table in a galley-kitchen area. We started to talk and were ordered to shut up. The Israeli Forces separated us and later they brought Vittorio in.
"Vittorio looked awful! I was very concerned about him, but didn't learn until much later that he had been tasered while holding onto a metal structure on the roof of the fishing boat. He ended up in the cold water and I am assuming he was suffering from hypothermia; he was barefoot, and shivering!
"When we arrived in Ashdod and as I was being taken off the Israeli gunboat I saw the Palestinian fishermen, blindfolded and handcuffed sitting on the deck. I yelled, in Arabic, that they were my dear friends and I will see them again.
"I was questioned by many Israelis and my response was that I was not talking to anyone or answering any questions without my attorney present.
"All of my belongings ~ cell phones, cameras, keys to my apartment, everything was confiscated and while in Israeli custody, I was taken to Ben Gurion Airport for an audience with the Minister of the Interior.
"I told him-and every other inquisitor that I wasn't answering any questions without my attorney. His response was, 'We are done!'
"I do not know what charges were filed against me. I was held in the women's compound in the men's prison at Ramle that held people with visa violations. So I'm assuming I was there for being in Israel without a visa ~ pretty ridiculous given I was forced to go to Israel at gunpoint against my will.
"Israel deported me against my will back to America. I wanted to go to London or Cypress, but my requests were ignored. My belongings were not returned to me ~ my cell phone, my three notebooks, my keys to the apartment!
"Usually Israel will hold Gaza fishing men and their boats for weeks or months at a time. This time the men were released the following day and their boat a week later. The Israeli Forces damaged a motor on one and stole all the GPS units. On this trip 15 men who usually remain at sea for two days at a time, were denied their catch and that resulted in denying hundreds of children some protein!
"Hundreds of people were impacted just from this one illegal action by Israeli Forces. The families and everyone connected with the three Palestinian fishing boats were without their source of food and income for ten days ~ longer for the damaged boat.
"The thing that pulls me back to Gaza is the people. The Palestinians have touched my heart and I will continue to work in solidarity with them and I will return to Gaza. It is because of the people of Gaza. It is their spirit, courage, resilience, kindness, warmth, hospitality, love and resistance to the occupation that pulls me back."
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