Disproportionate use of force, UN Emergency Coordinator says

Fishers still can't access the sea. UN Emergency Coordinator condemns Israel's disproportinate use of force, as 22 Palestinians were killed and 67 injured in the last 36 hours in the Strip of Gaza.

Fishers unable to access the sea since 25 June

Fishers unable to access the sea since 25 June - which also means that there is no fish for sale on the local market and that people dependent on fishing for their living have no money to bring home.

Click on link for further information on the situation in the Gaza Strip. The information is dated 18 July 2006 and provided by OCHA.

Gaza Strip Humanitarian Report

Latest OCHA Humanitarian Update dated July, 12 2006. OCHA (United Nations Agency) aims to improve the humanitarian situation by enhancing coordination between agencies to ensure effective distribution of humanitarian assistance. It also enhances coordination and decision making through its dissemination of humanitarian information and analysis of facts.

Gaza fishers grounded

Fishing fleet forced back to the shore. below an extract of the article written by By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer:

"Israel, which maintained control of Gaza's coast even after its pullout last year, sealed off the sea with naval gunboats after a soldier was captured in a June 25 militant raid on an army post.
The army says the coastal closure is crucial to stopping the militants from smuggling the soldier into nearby Egypt by boat.
It has also stranded about 3,000 Palestinian fisherman on shore for 10 days, costing the local economy $250,000 in losses, said Tarek Saker, director general of fisheries at the Palestinian Agriculture Ministry.
With about 43 percent of the Palestinian population living in poverty and unemployment at 23 percent, every fish caught counts. The fishing industry supports tens of thousands of workers, from the fishermen to those who make the nets and fix the boats, Saker said.
The industry became even more important to Gaza's economy earlier this year, when Israel and the West started an international boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian government, which has left 165,000 civil servants without salaries since April.
Before Israeli-Palestinian fighting broke out in 2000, fishing accounted for almost 7 percent of agricultural output, said Saker. But last year, Palestinian fishermen caught half as much as they did in 1999 — largely because of the Israeli restrictions.
"When the fishing season is at its peak, this is the people's food and they eat fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Saker said."

Statement by the United Nations Agencies working in the occupied Palestinian territory

UN Agencies Statement containing details on the situation in Gaza and calling for the Government of Israel to restore and maintain the supply of fuel to Gaza, to replace the destroyed equipment at the Gaza power plant, to ensure the passage of food and essential supplies at Karni commercial crossing and to lift the restrictions on movement and access to Gaza for UN agencies.

Profile: Gaza Strip

"The Gaza Strip is a narrow piece of land along the Mediterranean coast between Israel and Egypt. Just 40km long and 10km wide, it is home to more than 1.4m Palestinians"

BBC article dated 27 June 2006 describing Gaza. The article, which does not go into details (no mention of fisheries) gives a good (and short) account of Gaza history, its population centres, refugee camps, borders, entry/exit points, militant activity and the former settlement zone.

Gaza Beach Donkey

a photo provided by Greg (thanks!) showing Gaza beach donkeys. Fishers put fish on donkeys and go to the auctioneer (middleperson) who then sells the fish to merchants, shops, restaurants. Fish price is set by the auctioneer. Every fish landed has to be sold to him. He buys his licence 300 000 US dollar a year to the Palestinian Authority. And he charges fishers 5% of value of catch and fish merchants 3%, giving a total of 8%.

International assistance - news

Aid plan to the occupied Palestinian territory: Donors - Europeans first - say they want to avert a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory (see BBC article). The EU and US cut off funding after Hamas came to power earlier this year. Their focus for funding would be on local health services and provision of basic needs to poor Palestinians (not through the Hamas led government though).

In another move, the United Nations agency that provides relief for the Palestinians, UNRWA, began distributing emergency food aid to an additional 90,000 Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip. UNRWA now provides food aid for 725,000 Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip alone.

Humaritarian Update

Latest OCHA situation report on the Gaza Strip, dated 7 June 2006. To be noted:

• Continued disproportinate balance between imports and exports of goods in and out of Gaza resulting in large export revenue losses.
• Total losses from produce harvested in the greenhouses previously used by settlers now exceed US$9.5 million. (these greenhouses were expected to be a source of revenue for the Strip)
• Continuing closure at Erez crossing (used for Palestinian workers and traders).
• Non payment of Palestinian Authority salaries.
• Internal violence.
• External violence (IDF artillery shelling continues in particular into the north and northeastern areas of the Gaza Strip).
• UN staff members facing problems coming in and out of the Gaza Strip. These Israeli restrictions come at a time when the international community is looking for UN agencies for increased resources and operations in response to the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinan territory.

More in the OCHA report.

The Launch of a Palestinian Shippers Council

The Palestinian Shippers' Council (PSC) was launched on April, 11th. The role of Shippers Councils is to protect and promote the interests of its members on matters relating to transportation. Trade being so crucial (and subject to restrictions) for Palestinians, this seems like an interesting initiative.

The PSC sees as part of its achievements:

• The free storage days for Palestinian goods at ports were extended from four to six days; as of 1st of April 2006.
• Laws, regulations, and procedures applicable to Palestinian imports and exports are being disseminated by PSC to the Palestinian shippers.
  PSC established itself as a focal point for regional port authorities and various Palestinian institutions.
• The PSC has launched its institutional website at (www.psc.ps)

More on their website.

OCHA Situation report on Gaza

Dated 3 May 2006, the report covers situation on access to and out of Gaza for goods and people.

OCHA-oPt March Access Report

The latest OCHA information report (12 April) from the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) on access to the Gaza Strip. The different points of access to the Strip of Gaza include:

• Karni crossing, for commercial goods
• Kerem Shalom crossing at the Gaza-Israel-Egyptian border, new crossing I think
• Erez crossing for Palestinian workers and traders into Israel
• Rafah crossing for Gazans travelling overseas
• Sufa crossing, once operating for Palestinians going to work on farms in the south of Israel
• Coastal area - fishing is permitted up to 6-10 nautical miles off the coast (Under the Oslo Accords, fishers are entitled to fish 20 nautical miles from the coast).
• Airport - closed since the second Intifada in late September 2000.

(See the report for more information) - To be noted:

As of 12 April, Karni crossing has been closed 53 days in 2006 (57% of 2006) - paralysing the Gaza export and import market.

The compagny responsible for the cultivation of agriculture produce in the former settlement areas now has losses in 2006 exceeding $6.4m. - worth noting, as it was thought this could become an important industry in Gaza.

8 confirmed cases of avian flu among poultry and ducks in the Gaza Strip leading to the culling of 250,000 livestock and to a food crisis.

Humanitarian assistance originating from Egypt (through Kerem Shalom)

Net closes in on Gaza fisherman

"Unable to afford the rising prices of lamb, beef and flour in their sealed-off coastal strip, Palestinians crowd their markets in search of fish. Now that poultry supplies are depleted by the threat of bird flu, the clamour for fish is even greater..." A Times article dated 6 April 2006

Avian influenza has amplified fishing sector crisis in Gaza

Avian influenza and the Karni closure have put more pressure on the Gaza Strip fishing sector, as Gazans are looking for other sources of proteins than chicken. Yet, the fishing sector is unable to meet the demand, as the 330 square meter fishing grounds permitted by the occupying power are overfished. According to the Palestinian National Authority Department of Fisheries, the local production has halved from 8MT/day in 2005 to 4.2 MT/day in March 2006. Also due to limits on fishing area, fishers are reported to fish close to the shore where the fish come in to spawn and to use small sized fish nets resulting in 400 kg of bycatch a day (fish are then dumped as they are too small to be marketed). Further the closure of Karni crossing, the commercial crossing for products to come in and out of Gaza, have made people even more dependent on the local production, which already was not meeting the demand. And the shortage of fish have resulted in price increase: the price of sardines (most of the production and the only fish the poor can afford) has doubled from 15NIS/kg in Jan 2006 to 30NIS at the end of March. (sources: World Food Programme, 1st April 2006)

Coastal area, seaport and airport

OCHA 8 March report reads that:

Following the elections in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Israeli government has stopped talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) on the construction of a seaport in the Gaza Strip. Yet, the 15 November Agreement stated that the construction could commence.

The Israeli government has also cut off talks with the PA on the issue of operating an airport in Gaza following the elections.

Regarding fishing catch, OCHA reports that in Februray 2006, it was higher (58 tonnes) than the previous month but lower than the catch in February 2000, 2004 and 2005.

Since January 2005, the Israeli authorities have permitted Palestinian fishing up to 10 nautical miles from the Gaza Strip coastline compared to six nautical miles previously. Unde the Oslo Agreement, fishermen are entitled to fish 20 nautical miles from the coast. Palestinian fishing is prohibited one nautical mile north of the border with Egypt and one and a half nautical miles south of the border with Israel.

(See my March 17th posting for a similar yet a bit different account on 'permitted' fishing area)

Artistitic work on Gaza food shortage due to Karni crossing closure

by Palestinian artists Raaof Haj Yahia and Ali Batha.

Karni crossing opened but not fully operating

A press release by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) dated 22 March 2006 highlighting that:

• Karni crossing has re-opened but is not fully operating, therefore not letting sufficient food aid in
• There is a lack of fuel to distribute the food that comes in

As a reminder, here are some data which I had already typed down in my January 27th posting:

• More than 1.4 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip.
• 90% of the population are refugees.
• Some 65 to 75 per cent of Gazans are impoverished (compared to 30 per cent in 2000); many are hungry.
• About 42 per cent of Gazans are categorised by the World Food Programme (WFP) as 'food insecure'; in five areas of Gaza, the figure exceeds 50 per cent. An additional 30 per cent of the population is 'food vulnerable', i.e. under threat of becoming food insecure or malnourished.
• According to the World Bank, Palestinians are currently experiencing the worst economic depression in modern history, caused primarily by the long-standing Israeli restrictions that have dramatically reduced Gaza's levels of trade and virtually cut off its labour force from their jobs inside Israel.

Gaza Strip situation report 23 March 2006

The latest OCHA update on access to the Gaza Strip.

To follow up on access and closures to the Gaza Strip, OCHA website is a good place to go.

Commercial point of access between Gaza and Israel closed

Primary point for passage of goods between Gaza and Israel closed since February 12 despite the Access and Movement agreement brokered between Israel and the Palestinian Authority by the Quartet and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on 15 November 2005. See OCHA update dated 19 March.

Fishers facing tight squeeze

From the International Middle East media Centre (IMEMC). The media centre is a collaboration between Palestinian and International journalists to provide an English language media coverage of Israel-Palestine.

Wednesday 8 March 2006

"Fisherman have also faced a tight squeeze due to Israeli security forces controlling where and when they can fish, creating an arbitrary 'line in the sea', and enforcing it at will, firing at fishermen when they enter the sea to fish out of their small boats.

Director of the marine department in the agriculture Ministry, Mr. Tariq Saqer, said that fishing contributes 2% to the Palestinian national income, although it previously contributed much more.

Now, due to Israeli naval forces firing arbitrarily at fishermen, they are afraid to venture outside of a two-square mile area of coast, a tiny patch that is completely insufficient to provide the fish necessary to maintain their livelihood.

The United Nations and various human rights groups have condemned the Israeli closure and economic and military control of the Gaza Strip, saying that the current closure is causing a severe food crisis in Gaza."

The beginning of the IMEMC article speaks about the financial catastrophe of the Gush Katif greenhouses - transferred to the Palestinian Administration as a gift - due to Israeli closing of the Karni crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip since February 12. This shows that at the moment fishing is still the only real industry in the Strip of Gaza. But most importantly the closing of the Karni crossing, the commercial crossing for Gaza, is likely to lead to a humanitarian crisis in the Strip: flour stocks are finished as well as other basic food commodities.