Out fishing in Gaza! : Laila El-Haddad's blog

The article was posted by Laila El-Haddad on her blog on 26.08.2008. At the time, the Free Gaza movement had just made it to Gaza and had decided to accompany fishers out to sea. They intended to go with the fishers at least 7 to 8 miles off the Gaza coast in a show of support for their struggle to keep the fishing industry productive. That day fishers made it! and had a successful catch! For once a happy ending.

....
After a long and hard trip to Gaza, international activists who sailed there from Cyprus plan to return, taking with them a few stranded Palestinian Fulbright scholars. In Gaza, they delivered hearing aids to a charity-Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children (one which I absolutely love for their handicrafts, made by deaf men and women which you can purchase online).

But before doing so, they accompanied Palestinian fisherman yesterday morning to help them break the maritime siege on their fishing boats. The Oslo Accords were supposed to "grant them" (a natural right, but they decided it should be bestowed nonetheless) the right to fish 20 nautical miles into see. In reality, this has translated to no more than 12 in the best of times, 4 at the height of the second Intifada based on my interviewees with fishermen; and 6 in the past few years.

Their fishing vessels are frequently shot at by the israeli navy, the fishermen themselves harassed, thrown into the water, beaten, detained, and in many cases killed, rendering their once bustling profession and mainstay of the Gazan economy one of its most dangerous jobs.

The hope was that accompanied by international activists and a swarm of media alongside them, the Israeli naval boats would lay off; and despite circling them from afar with their enormous guns pointing towards them, they did.

My father accompanied one of the fishing vessels to aid in translation and protection. Initially, the fisherman were afraid to leave for fear of being shot at by the Israelis, as they frequently are. Slowly , they decided to attempt to surpass the nautical mile limit imposed on them by the Israelis.

And they did.

The fishermen told him it was their most successful catch in four years!

Israeli gunboats kidnap Gaza fisherman, peaceworkers

The article is by Eva Bartlett for the Electronic Intifada. Eva Bartlett is a Canadian human rights advocate and freelancer, currently based in Gaza. The article was published on Nov, 21st.