Reaction in Gaza as the boats stolen by the Israeli navy are returned damaged

Posted on the ISM webpage on: November 30, 2008

Three Palestinian trawling vessels confiscated by Israeli naval forces were returned on Thursday 27th November.

ISM Gaza Strip made this video as the boats were finally returned.

Almost immediately following the announcement that three Human Rights Groups had filed an appeal against Ehud Barak and the commander of the Israeli navy the boats were returned to Palestinian waters. The vessels were stolen from Gazan waters on 18th November while fishing in Palestinian territorial water.

Filed by Al-Mazan, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court was on behalf of the vessels’ owners. The appeal, sent to the Israeli Supreme Court, asked why the boats have not been released and why the fishermen have not been compensated for their loss of income and their loss of use of the boats for the past week.

Rather than answer these questions in court, raising serious contradictions to the Israeli claim that Gaza is no longer occupied, Israel’s navy informed the lawyers that the boats would probably be returned immediately. Less than 24 hours later the boats were returned, though initial reports suggest that they had sustained serious damage and that expensive equipment has been stolen.

Video by ISM Gaza Strip

Israel attempts to avoid court challenge by returning stolen Palestinian fishing boats

Posted on the ISM webpage on: November 27, 2008

Thursday 27th November, 2008 - Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestine

Three Palestinian trawling vessels confiscated by Israeli naval forces were returned today almost immediately following yesterdays announcement that three Human Rights Groups had filed an appeal against Ehud Barak and the commander of the Israeli navy. The vessels were stolen from Gazan waters on 18th November while fishing in Palestinian territorial water.

Filed yesterday by Al-Mazan, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court was on behalf of the vessels’ owners. The appeal, sent to the Israeli Supreme Court, asked why the boats have not been released and why the fishermen have not been compensated for their loss of income and their loss of use of the boats for the past week.

Rather than answer these questions in court, raising serious contradictions to the Israeli claim that Gaza is no longer occupied, Israel’s navy informed the lawyers that the boats would probably be returned immediately. Less than 24 hours later the boats were returned, though initial reports suggest that they had sustained serious damage and that expensive equipment has been stolen.

“While the return of 1/4 of Gaza’s trawling fleet after they were stolen by the Israeli navy is a relief to Gaza’s fishermen, the fact that it only took the threat of court action in their own legal system for the boats return demonstrates how baseless Israel’s claim of not occupying Gaza is” said Fida Qishta, local human rights activist from Rafah and ISM co-ordinator in the Gaza Strip.

Held in Ashdod, the fishing boats were transferred into Palestinian waters six nautical miles offshore at approximately 16:00 Gaza time and reached the port of Gaza City shortly before 18:00.

There are only 12 boats of this size in the Gaza Strip, so the confiscation represented one quarter of such boats available to the Gazan population.The boats were abducted 7 1/2 miles from the port of Deir al-Balah, well within ‘Zone L’, which, under the Oslo agreement, gives them the right to be fishing within their own 20 nautical mile limit.

The boats’ captains reported damage to their vessels’ - indeed one trawler had to be towed in by a second due to engine damage. Equipment such as GPS devices were also missing. The fishermens’ loss of earnings over the last ten days is still being estimated.

The three human rights observers from the International Solidarity Movement who were accompanying the fishermen at the time of the Israeli assault were held at Maasiyahu detention centre in Ramle, despite never being charged. All have now been illegally deported by the Israeli authorities. Vittorio Arrigoni was deported to Italy on Sunday 23rd November, Andrew Muncie to the UK on Tuesday 25th and Darlene Wallach to the US early on Thursday 27th November.

Three Palestinian fishing boats returned

Posted on the FGM website on: Thursday, 27 November 2008 14:35

Written by FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday 27th November, 2008 – Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestine

Three Palestinian trawling vessels confiscated by Israeli naval forces whilst fishing in Gazan territorial waters on 18th November were returned today. Fifteen Palestinian fishermen were also abducted during the operation but have since been released.

The fishing boats, held in Ashdod, were transferred into Palestinian waters six nautical miles offshore at approximately 16:00 Gaza time and reached the port of Gaza City shortly before 18:00.

This action follows an appeal filed yesterday in the Israeli Supreme Court on behalf of the vessels' owners for the return of their property. Lawyers intended to challenge the arbitrary limits imposed on Gazan fishermen by the Israeli navy which contravene prior agreements and international regulations.

The boats' captains reported damage to their vessels – indeed one trawler had to be towed in by a second due to engine damage. Equipment such as GPS devices were also missing. The fishermen's loss of earnings over the last ten days is still being estimated.

The three human rights observers from the International Solidarity Movement who were accompanying the fishermen at the time of the Israeli assault were held at Maasiyahu detention centre in Ramle, despite charges never having been brought against them. All have now been illegally deported by the Israeli authorities. Vittorio Arrigoni was deported to Italy on Sunday 23rd November, Andrew Muncie to the UK on Tuesday 25th and Darlene Wallach to the US early on Thursday.

Human rights groups file appeal against Ehud Barak over the confiscation of Palestinian fishing boats

Posted on the ISM webpage on: November 27, 2008

Ramallah, Occupied West Bank: On November 25, 2008, Al-Mazan, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) have filed a legal appeal against Ehud Barak and the commander of the Israeli Navy. The appeal was launched over Israel’s illegal confiscation of three large fishing boats from Palestinian territorial waters on the 18th November.

This appeal has been sent to the supreme court asking why the boats have not been released and why the fishermen have not been compensated for their loss of income and their loss of use of the boats for the past week.

The boats were abducted 7 1/2 miles from the port of Deir al-Balah, so they were well within Zone L, which, under the Oslo agreement, gives them the right to be fishing within their own 20 nautical mile limit. Israel’s actions raises serious doubts about their claim that Gaza is no longer occupied.

The action against Barak and the Israeli Navy is based, in part, on the The Hague convention, “Family honor and rights, the lives of persons, and private property, as well as religious convictions and practice, must be respected. Private property can not be confiscated.”

Gazan fishermen protest for their rights

Posted on the ISM webpage on: November 25, 2008

Monday 24th November, 2008 – Gaza City

The ISM Gaza Strip team joined over 50 Palestinian fishermen on a demonstration to call for an end to the siege of Gaza – both on the land and in the sea. As Israel’s stranglehold tightens day by day, Gazan fishermen and farmers struggle to provide a local food source for a population under siege. This is in the face of arbitrary restrictions imposed on them by Israeli occupation forces.

Israel has declared a six-mile limit on the Gazan fishing zone, contrary to prior agreements and international regulations. This limit is dictated solely by the gun and Gazan fishermen endure daily aggression from Israeli naval gunboats, resulting in injuries and damage to their boats. 15 fishermen have been killed by the Israeli navy since 2000.

The fishermen also protested against the abduction of 15 of their colleagues from Gazan territorial waters on 18th November, who have since been released. They demanded the return of three of their trawling vessels confiscated by the Israeli navy during the same operation, depriving hundreds of people of a livelihood. They also opposed the illegal detention of three International Solidarity Movement volunteers who were accompanying them at the time.

Fishermen carried banners with slogans including:
“No to the occupation piracy in Palestinian waters. Yes to fishing freedom.”

The fishermen marched from Gaza City port to the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, where they spoke to a UN representative. There were also speakers from the Fishing Syndicate, PNGO and the Palestinian Campaign against the Siege.

ISM Gaza Strip: Erez protest against the siege, for the return of the Palestinian fishing boats, and for the release of the 3 ISM activists

Posted on the ISM webpage on: November 22, 2008

On Thurdasy 20th November the Beit Hanoun Local Initiative organised a protest at Erez crossing, in which tens of youth marched carrying Palestinian flags and banners demanding the release of the 3 ISM activists (Andrew Muncie, 34, from Scotland, Darlene Wallach, 57, from USA and Vittorio Arrigoni, 33, from Italy). Along with 15 Palestinian fishermen, and their 3 fishing vessels, the solidarity activists were kidnapped by Israeli soldiers on November 18, while fishing at about 7 miles off shore of central Gaza Strip city, Deir Al Balah.

Although the Palestinian fishermen were released in the early hours of November 19, the 3 human rights observers are still incarcerated in the Israeli Massiyahu prison, in Lida. As of the morning of November 21, the three began a hunger strike to demand the immediate return of the 3 fishing vessels –undamaged– to their rightful owners in Gaza.

The Palestinian demonstrators were joined by ISM and Free Gaza Movement (FGM) activists. A relative of the kidnapped fishermen also participated, explaining the difficult situation for the fifteen families and their extended relatives, as well as the hundreds of workers and buyers who depend on the stolen fishing boats for their livelihood. Especially during this period while the siege has created an unimaginable humanitarian disaster, this loss of sea livelihood is catastrophic.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees has announced that it would be forced to suspend its financial assistance to refugees in the Gaza Strip due to the lack of Israeli currency in Gaza banks. The ongoing Israeli blockade could cause “a real food disaster” as the absence of feed and fuel starves farm animals, according to a statement of the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture.

The international activists reminded the media that apart from their colleagues there are over eleven thousand Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israeli jails.

Members of the Beit Hanoun Local Initiative expressed their solidarity for the 3 imprisoned ISM activists who had previously joined them in several actions during the Olive Harvest Campaign, accompanying Palestinian farmers to their olive groves, close to the Green Line, in an area where the IOF is trying to implement a ‘buffer zone’. The protesters were chanting the names of the ISMers and singing their favourite song ‘Unadikum’ (I call to you all).

‘I call to you all:
I take your hand and hold it tightly.
I kiss the ground on which you place your feet.
I know that for you I would give my life.
My life I would give for you.

I offer you the light of my eyes,
The fire of my heart:
For this pain that I suffer
Is only a small part of your pain.

I never have sold my country
And I have been willing to serve,
To face the invader with steadfastness and courage,
An orphan willing to die.

Carrying my people on my shoulders,
You will see my flag raised high,
And a mountain clothed in the green of the olive branch
For those who will come after.

I call to you all!’

Darlene Wallach is in a prison in Ramle

Posted on the FGM website on: Saturday, 22 November 2008 10:34

Darlene Wallach is in a new prison in Ramle, a men's prison, but she's in a section reserved for illegal immigrants.

She wanted to pass on this information, "We were fishing about 7 miles off the shores of Gaza. The Israeli soldiers came on board the three boats via four Zodiacs. The frogmen came up and over each boat. They used a taser on Vik while he was still on the boat, then tried to push him backwards onto a sharp piece of wood.. He jumped into the sea to avoid being hurt more than he already was and was in the water for quite a while.

Then they came for me and forced me into the Zodiac at the point of a gun. They said, "You are in Israeli territory." even though is was obvious that all three boats were in Palestinian territory. They kidnapped me and Andrew and Vik and all of the Palestinian fishermen."

Today two women from immigration were there to see Darlene. They were very rude. Until just a few minutes ago, Darlene was refused a change of clothes and a mobile, but, thanks to Lubna and a nice woman at the prison, she now has both.

The authorities are saying they will refuse to send Darlene to London and want to send her back to the United States.. The judge said she would make a decision today so Darlene is waiting to hear the ruling . She still does not have a passport.

She sounded fine, relieved to finally be able to talk to someone outside Israel. I asked if she wanted me to pass on her phone number to friends and to any media who might like to interview her, and she said to absolutely do that.

So here is her number 00972527593144. If you know ANY media who would like to interview her, please let them know. This story is vitally important to get out to the public.
"The question whether Gaza remains an occupied territory is now of academic interest only. In the course of the cynically named "Operation Summer Rains" that commenced on 25 June, the IDF has not only asserted its control in Gaza by means of heavy shelling, but has also done so by means of a military presence." --UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories, John Dugard. http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/22f431edb91c6f548525678a0051be1d/2e64a5d7f563f5468525720a0052603d!OpenDocument

Media about Darlene Wallach's kidnapping

Posted on the FGM website on Saturday, 22 November 2008 10:24

Written by Donna Wallach My name is Donna Wallach, I am Darlene Wallach's sister. She was illegally kidnapped at gunpoint by at least 5 armed and masked Israeli Naval commandos on Tuesday 18th November, while accompanying Palestinian fishermen trawling for fish 7 miles off the coast of Deir Al-Balah, clearly within the internationally recognized Gazan territorial waters. Darlene was kidnappen d along with 2 other international Human Rights Observers, volunteering with International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and along with the 15 Palestinian fishermen who were fishing to earn a livelihood for their families. The three trawling boats on whichl the 15 Palestinian fishermen and the three international ISM volunteers were on were also illegally siezed and confiscated and still remain in the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Darlene and the other two ISM volunteers are still being illegally detained in Maasiyahu Prison in the Israeli town of Lod. Darlene went on hunger strike to protest the confiscation of the boats and to demand their immediate return to their Palestinian owners. As punishment, her Israeli jailers put her into isolation and took away her cell phone, her only communication with the outside world. She was also informed that she would not be allowed to see her lawyer until Sunday, i.e. Friday and Saturday she would be incommunicado with everyone. Considering that she had had a live interview on Friday with Democracy Now, Darlene made the decision it was better to be out of isolation and have a phone so she would be available for interviews with the press than to be in isolation, so she stopped her hunger strike. Her cell phone is: 972-75-93-144

It is highly important to publicize this illegal kidnapping of an American citizen by the Israeli Navy. It is time the citizens of San Jose see some truth about what is happening here in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. The genocidal siege also needs to be highlighted - the borders are closed since 5th November 2008 - all shipments of food, medicine, fuel, wheat, etc. are denied entry. There are daily power outages, many areas are without running water and there is no more bread to be found in the stores.

I am available for any claripfications: cats4jazz @ gmail . com or cell phone: 972-59-88-36-420

regards,
Donna Wallach
Gaza Strip, Palestine

Israeli gunboats kidnap Gaza fisherman, peaceworkers

Eva Bartlett, The Electronic Intifada, 21 November 2008

An Israeli naval ship sprays a Palestinian fishing boat with a water cannon off the coast of the Gaza Strip. (David Schermerhorn)

On the evening of Tuesday 18 November Khalid al-Habeel sat surrounded by his wife, family, and other concerned fishermen. Until the early hours of the following day, they had no idea what charges were being laid against 15 fishermen, including two of al-Habeel's sons, Adham (21) and Mohammed (20), after they were nabbed from Gaza's territorial waters earlier that morning and taken to an Israeli interrogation center at Ashdod port. Nor did they know when or if their boats -- their livelihoods -- would be returned.

Khaled Al-Habeel, or Abu Adham (father of Adham) explained the events leading up to the fishermen's arrest. "Shortly after 10am, I got a panicked call from Adham, who was captain today, saying their boat was surrounded by Israeli naval boats."

"There are many ships around us; there's no way to leave," said Adham to his father. Their boat was approximately seven miles out from Deir al-Balah, in the center of the Gaza Strip.

Although Palestinian fishermen have the right to fish up to 20 nautical miles from Gaza's coast, as laid-out in the 1994 Interim Agreement signed by Israel, since 1996 Israel has downsized this distance in stages, documented by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). Imposing a sea blockade on Gaza in 1996, Israel illegally reduced the allowable fishing zone to 12 nautical miles. From 2002 to 2003 this was further reduced to six miles from Gaza's shore.

While Adham and the more than 3,500 professional fishermen that scour Gaza's waters for needed sustenance and sources of income are accustomed to Israeli navy harassment, Tuesday's encounter was different, heightened.

"We're used to facing Israeli attacks in the sea, but we've never seen anything like what happened today. Usually, the Israeli soldiers surround us with a large ship and a smaller gunboat. They shoot at and around our boat with automatic rifles, and they water cannon the boat. When they arrest us, they make us strip down to our underwear, jump into the water, and swim to their ship where we are then hauled up, handcuffed, and taken away to an Israeli interrogation center and even arrest. Today was very different. It's the first time they've actually boarded our boats," al-Habeel explained.

Khaled's brother, Abed al-Habeel, and the father of another of the arrested fishermen, Rami (30), corroborated the testimony, adding that their greatest worry was the boats right now: "In the past, I've had my boat confiscated. It was three years ago, and the Israeli soldiers arrested Rami, who was fishing four miles off the coast. They held him for four months, and kept our boat for 70 days. This was a huge loss to us, and when it was finally returned to us it had been seriously damaged by the soldiers' shooting. The nets, the motor, everything was destroyed or stolen," he said, adding that the total losses and damages amounted to US $40,000.

"We've done nothing wrong. We are innocent, just trying to earn our living. Our boats are our only source of income," said Abu Adham. "But what can we do?" he asked.

A crisis created

The two al-Habeel fishing trawlers and equipment together amount to approximately US $280,000. With the entire family being either fishermen or dependent on the livelihood and food source fishing provides, the confiscation of their boats is a severe blow to the family. In an area which has already been devastated a siege on the economy, exports, health sector, education, and basic existence of Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians, the fishing sector is one of the few reliable sources of income and food.

According to Abu Adham, it is not only his immediate family which is punished by the boats' confiscation. "Our boats are like a company," he said. Around 300 people in total are affected by the loss of their two trawlers: other workers employed on the boats, at the docks, in the fish market, transporting fish goods, as well as the buyers themselves who have come to rely heavily on the sea's offerings as a source of protein and nutrition at a time when red meat is scarce and very expensive.

Since September 2008, after the arrival of the Free Gaza boats, human rights observers with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) have been traveling with Gaza's fishermen, into waters further out than the arbitrarily-imposed six-mile limit. The observers have documented numerous instances of attack at the hands of the Israeli army, from as little as three miles from shore, including being shot at with live ammunition and shelling, being water cannoned -- during which soldiers specifically target the boats structural components, particularly breakables like glass, glass panels and machinery -- and more recently being doused with a foul, sewage-smelling water shot from the water cannon. The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem has documented testimonies of fishermen who suffered harassment and arrest, had their nets cut, and boats and equipment confiscated, often returned with broken and missing equipment, and costly damages to key boat structures.

Behind the kidnapping

In the early hours of Wednesday, 19 November, all 15 arrested fishermen were released to the Erez crossing into Gaza. Their boats, along with the three internationals, are still being held by Israeli authorities. Nidal, a 23 year old father of one child, was among the arrested fishermen.

"We were just over seven miles out off the shore from Deir al-Balah and we saw two Israeli gunboats approach our fishing vessel. Five smaller boats surrounded Abed Almoati al-Habeel's boat," the boat that Scottish volunteer Andrew Muncie (34) was on, Nidal explained. "We began quickly pulling our nets in," he continued. "When they had arrested people on that boat, one of the gunboats came and ordered us to turn our motor off. They ordered us to come to the front of our boat, threatening to shoot to kill."

Italian volunteer Vittorio Arrigoni ("Vik") (33) on the 2nd boat to be surrounded, continued filming as Israeli soldiers boarded the boat. Colleague Darlene Wallach (57) was on the third boat and related via phone what happened next. "They used a taser on Vik while he was still on the boat, then tried to push him backwards onto a sharp piece of wood. He jumped into the sea to avoid being hurt more than he already was, and was in the water for quite a while," Nidal said.

"Almost 20 soldiers had boarded the boat, pointing their guns in our faces and ordering us not to move. They left the captain, Mohammed, on the boat and forced us off and onto the smaller boat, which transferred us to the larger gunship."

Mohammed confirmed this account, adding, "This was the first time we weren't forced to strip and jump into the water." Three soldiers remained on Mohammed's boat and, after the operation was repeated on the third boat, ordered Mohammed to head towards Ashdod, the first Israeli port, along with the other two fishing vessels.

Wallach by phone said this of her arrest: "I was told 'You are in Israeli territory.' even though it was obvious that all three boats were in Palestinian territory," she said. "They kidnapped me and Andrew and Vik, and all of the Palestinian fishermen."

Later, at the Ashdod port, during their interrogation, the fishermen were questioned specifically on the international observers. "Why did you have internationals on your boat?" they were asked. "Who is responsible for sending the internationals? Who pays them? Where do they live? Do you get a good catch when the internationals are on board?" the questioning continued, with a very specific and evident interest, including a non-veiled threat: "You think that you have protection because you have internationals on your boat? Let's see what these international can do for you now," one fisherman said soldiers threatened.

After their half-day detention, the fishermen were released without any charges, although their boats remain confiscated.

Abu Rami feels the kidnapping of the 15 fishermen and three international observers was a clear message: "It's a message to internationals in Gaza to not accompany fishermen. It's also a message to fishermen not to go far out in our own waters, although we need to because that is where the fish are."

Steadfast against the siege

Prison time has not broken the spirits of the three human rights activists, who are all being held in Israel's Maasiyahu prison, near Lydd. Rather, they are determined to protest what they say is the "stealing" of Palestinian fishing boats, as well as their kidnapping from Gaza's waters. Wallach maintains that "at no point, before we were transported by the Israeli navy into Israel, did we enter internationally-recognized Israeli waters."

Arrigoni commented via phone on Thursday: "A few days ago I was in a big prison with no electricity and little running water. Now I'm in a smaller prison with electricity and clean, running water."

On 21 November, the three began a hunger strike, calling foremost for the return of the fishing boats, and further calling for their own return to Gaza.

The incident comes just a week after a delegation of 11 European Members of Parliament, all denied entry through Egypt's Rafah crossing, visited the Gaza Strip, arriving via the third Free Gaza voyage. Amongst the delegation were: former UK Secretary of State for International Development Clare Short, Lord Ahmed Nazir, and Baroness Jenny Tonge. Tonge condemned the arrests.

"The time has come for the international community, and especially the European Union to take action against Israel's consistent breaking of international law. The EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended until Israel complies with this law. It was only last week that I personally met with the fishermen whose boats are illegally water-cannoned and fired upon by Israeli gunboats as they peacefully fish in Gaza waters."

Clare Short's comments addressed not only the recent arrests, but the devastating siege which has been imposed on Gaza for 18 months now. "I am pleased that the fishermen have been released because they should never have been arrested. But their boats must immediately be returned to them, otherwise their livelihoods are lost and the wrong has not been righted. The siege of Gaza must be lifted and the UK must insist that these illegal attacks by the Israeli navy on Gazans, fishing peacefully within their own water must cease," Short remarked.

Indeed, while the arrest of the 15 fishermen and three internationals highlights the continual and systematic injustice fishermen face, over 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners remain incarcerated in Israeli prisons and the siege on Gaza's 1.5 million civilians worsens ever still.

While Israel is seemingly trying to conceal the alarming deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Gaza by preventing journalists from entering Gaza for over 13 days now, pressure is growing, from European parliamentarians to UN officials, for Israel to end its siege.

"By function of this blockade, 1.5 million Palestinian men, women and children have been forcibly deprived of their most basic human rights for months," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement. Pillay continued, stating: "Only a full lifting of the blockade followed by a strong humanitarian response will be adequate to relieve the massive humanitarian suffering evident in Gaza today."

Eva Bartlett is a Canadian human rights advocate and freelancer who spent eight months in 2007 living in West Bank communities and four months in Cairo and at the Rafah crossing. She is currently based in Gaza, after the third successful voyage of the Free Gaza movement to break the siege on Gaza.

Democracy Now!: U.S. activist detained in Israeli jail condemns blockade of Gaza

To listen to the interview by Democracy Now! with ISM activist Darlene Wallach click here

Israel’s tightened blockade of a million and a half Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is now entering its third week. On Monday the Israeli Navy seized 15 Palestinian fishermen and three international activists off the coast of Gaza. The fishermen were released but the activists remain in an Israeli jail. We speak to Darlene Wallach from inside the Masiyahu prison near Tel Aviv.

Israel’s tightened blockade of a million and a half Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is now entering its third week. Tel Aviv rebuffed calls Thursday from United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to re-open the crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid. Israeli government officials cited continuing Palestinian rocket fire as the reason for closing the crossings.

Residents of Gaza are running out of essentials like food, medicines, and fuel as a result of the almost continuous blockade imposed November 4th.

Meanwhile the 15 Palestinian fishermen seized by the Israeli navy off the coast of Gaza were released Wednesday. The three international volunteers accompanying the fishermen however remain in a prison near Tel Aviv.

American Darlene Wallach, Italiani Vittorio Arrigoni, and Scottish Andrew Muncie had arrived by boat into Gaza in late August as part of the first Free Gaza delegation. They remained in Gaza working with the International Solidarity Movement alongside Palestinian fishermen, documenting any harassment by the Israeli navy.

The three internationals are reportedly beginning a hunger strike today to protest their detention. They are also demanding that the Israeli navy release the Palestinian fishing boats they confiscated this week.

U.S. citizen in Israeli detention Darlene Wallach joins me now on the telephone from inside the Masiyahu prison near Tel Aviv.

PRESS RELEASE FROM VITTORIO ARRIGONI

Posted on FGM webpage on Friday, 21 November 2008 14:43

Manifestly violating every human and civil right and against every international law, I spent the last six hours with Andrew locked in a piggish toilette full of fleas and parasites and without drinking water. This was the treatment we received because we announced a hunger strike in order to ask for the restitution of the fishing boats stolen to Palestinian fishermen offshore Gazan coasts when we were kidnapped by Israeli soldiers.

They took away the telephones we were given yesterday by our lawyer but, even more shameful and clearly violating international laws, they prevented us from getting in touch with our lawyers and with our consulates even though Andrew and I asked for it tenaciously many times.

In order to report these regrettable events I had to stop my hunger strike so that I could have back my telephone and pass on this reporting. Based on what I could hear before they separated us, Andrew will keep staying in that cell (absolutely non compliant with every standard of every convention about detention and human rights) as long as he will continue his hunger strike.

The detention I lived today and Andrew is still living can be considered a real torture more than a punishment.

It’s more than probable that Darlene, who is continuing her hunger strike, is suffering the same inhuman treatment.

I’m about to report this seriously severe event to the Italian, the Scottish and the American consulates.

It’s important being constantly informed about mental and physical conditions of our friends.

Tomorrow I will have to turn to urgent medical treatments to cure dozens of bites from insects and parasites which attack me every night leaving my body full of sores.

Vittorio Arrigoni, kidnapped in an Israeli prison in Ramle.

21st November 2008, 6 p.m.

Gaza activists 'on hunger strike'

BBC Friday, 21 November 2008

Three International Solidarity Movement activists detained with 15 Palestinian fishermen off Gaza by the Israeli navy say they have gone on hunger strike.

Briton Andrew Muncie, Vittorio Arrigoni from Italy, and American Darlene Wallach are being held in a prison near Tel Aviv and face possible deportation.

Mr Muncie, from Lochaber, told the BBC their protest would continue until the impounded fishing boats were returned.

Israel said the boats had deviated from the zone where fishing was permitted.

The ISM disputes the allegation, saying the Palestinian vessels were 12km (7 miles) from shore when confronted by the Israeli navy - well within the fishing limits outlined by the 1994 Oslo peace accords.

'Harassment and intimidation'

Speaking to the BBC from prison, Mr Muncie said that for the past two months, he had been going out on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Gaza.

Andrew Muncie said he wanted to remain in the Gaza Strip

On Tuesday, the vessels were operating within the permitted offshore zone when they were boarded by Israeli sailors, he said.

He and two ISM colleagues were arrested, along with 15 Palestinian fishermen. The fishermen were later released but their boats remained impounded, he said.

Mr Muncie said he wanted to remain in the Gaza Strip to continue documenting unprovoked attacks by the Israeli navy.

"Our presence on the fishing boats has in no way provoked a reaction. The Israeli navy do this anyway," he said.

"It's a project of harassment and intimidation to prevent fishermen from reaching the more fertile fishing zones," he added.

Andrew Muncie was detained in 2003 after obstructing Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Nablus.

The ISM says it is "committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using non-violent, direct-action methods and principles".

An American on Hunger Strike over Gaza in an Israeli Jail

Afshin Rattansi talks Donna Wallach, sister of Darlene Wallach, captured by Israeli soldiers in Gaza as news comes in of a Scottish solidarity activist transferred to solitary confinement in an Israeli detention center on Friday after he and two others declared a hunger strike.

British citizen Andrew Muncie relayed a message via his jailed colleagues that he has been isolated and his mobile phone confiscated.

Muncie was arrested along with an American, Darlene Wallach, and an Italian Vittorio Arrigoni, along with 15 Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza. The three activists were accompanying the fishermen, who face daily harassment by the Israeli navy.

The three declared a hunger strike on Thursday night, demanding that Israel return three fishing vessels it seized during Tuesdays raid in Gazan waters. The solidarity campaigners say that the Palestinians who own the boats rely on them for their livelihoods.

A Plea for Funds for Legal Support

Posted on FGM webpage on Thursday, 20 November 2008 13:38

Written by Migrator

On Tuesday 18th November, the Israeli Navy forcibly abducted 15 unarmed Palestinian fishermen and three International Human Rights Observers from the waters 7 miles off the Gaza coast. Although the fishermen were well within their rights to fish in their own waters, the Israeli Navy boarded and confiscated their boats, and illegally detained all of the civilians in Israel.

Under tremendous pressure, the Israeli government, released the 15 fishermen but are so far refusing to return the most precious possessions these men own - their boats.

The three Human Rights Observers, Andrew Muncie of Scotland, Darlene Wallach of the U.S., and Vik Arrigoni of Italy are currently in prison awaiting court dates. They are challenging their illegal detention and insisting that Israel release them back to Gaza.

The International Solidarity Movement and the Free Gaza Movement are asking for funds to help pay our attorneys;

1. To get the boats released from Israel's grasp, or for them to pursue compensation to the fishermen for their loss;
2. To represent the three internationals in court;
3. For representation of the fishermen.

If you can help provide funds for these vital causes please consider these options for donation:

1. Donating via PayPal on the ISM website (http://www.palsolidarity.org/main)

2. Transferring money directly into the ISM Palestine bank account;

ARAB BANK P.L.C
RAMALLAH AL_BALAD BR
PALESTINE
SWIFT CODE; ARABPS22090
ACCOUNT #673589

3. If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation, please make your checks of $50 or more to 'ISM' and put in the subject line ATTORNEY FEES. Send to:

NorCalISM
405 Vista Heights Rd.
El Cerrito, CA 94530

When making a donation for these attorney fees please email palreports@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the amount being donated and confirmation that the donation is for this purpose.

We will make sure this money goes directly to the attorneys representing the Palestinian fishermen and the internationals.

Human Rights Observers start hunger strike in Israel

Massiyahu Prison, Lida, Israel (20 November, 2008) - Three Human Rights Observers (HRO) with the International Solidarity Movement began a hunger strike today in protest over the illegal confiscation of Paestinian fishing boats by Israel. The three HROs, Darlene Wallach of the U.S., Vittorio Arrigoni of Italy, and Andrew Muncie of Scotland, were forcibly abducted by the Israeli Navy on Tuesday, while accompanying unarmed Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

According to Wallach, “We were fishing about 7 miles off the shores of Gaza. The Israeli soldiers came on board the three boats via four Zodiacs. The frogmen came up and over each boat. They used a taser on Vik while he was still on the boat, then tried to push him backwards onto a sharp piece of wood. He jumped into the sea to avoid being hurt more than he already was and was in the water for quite a while. Then they came for me and forced me into the Zodiac at the point of a gun. They kidnapped me and Andrew and Vik and all of the Palestinian fishermen.”

Israel abducted and later released 15 Palestinian fishermen during the incident, and confiscated their fishing boats. The HROs are refusing to be deported, and refusing to eat, until the boats are returned– undamaged–to their rightful owners in Gaza.

“We R on hunger strike and want 2 go before judge in court. No deportation til boats are returned 2 fishermen,” was the text message sent out from jail by the HROs this afternoon.

At court today, HRO Andrew Muncie asked the judge under what law they had been arrested. According to the judge, their detention was authorized by the Oslo Accords “because it is forbidden by military law for you to fish 7 and a half miles off the coast. It is a no-fishing zone.”

However, the Oslo accords grant Palestinians the right to fish 20 miles off their own coast. When Andrew’s attorney handed a copy of that portion of the Oslo accords to the judge, she had no comment.

On August 23, 2008, Wallach, Muncie and Arrigoni were among 44 participants in the Free Gaza Movement who were aboard the first boats in forty-one years to enter Gaza by sea, breaking the Israeli blockade. They remained in Gaza to participate in human rights activities with the International Solidarity Movement. They have been living and working in Gaza since the summer, providing accompaniment to Palestinian farmers and fishermen, and documenting Israeli human rights abuses in the Gaza Strip.

The three will stop eating tomorrow morning until the confiscated fishing boats are “returned in the condition they were in when the frogmen boarded the boats, with any damage they made repaired.”

Irish Parliamentarian Protests to Israeli Embassy

Posted on the FGM website on:Wednesday, 19 November 2008 17:39
Written by Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD

His Excellency Mr. Mark Sofer,
Ambassador of Israel,
Carisbrook House
122 Pembroke Rd,
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4,

Céadaoin 19 Samhain 2008

Dear Mr Sofer,

I wish to protest in the strongest terms at the arrest by your country’s navy of three fishing boats operating out of Gaza along with their crews and three international observers onboard.

I would ask that you, convey this protest to your government and ask when will the confiscated boats be returned to their rightful owners; when will the 3 international observers, Victor Arrigoni from Italy, Andrew Muncie from Scotland and Darlene Wallach from the USA, be released back to Gaza; when will all three have access to legal representation?

I would remind you that the Israeli Navy have no business operating in Palestinian waters, least of all arresting boats and their crews, since the Oslo Agreement of 1994 established a 20-mile limit. The boats in question were fishing seven miles off the coast of Deir Al Balah, clearly in Gaza fishing waters, when they were intercepted by the Israeli Navy.

Hopefully, your government will react positively to this letter of protest and release the three observers and return the boats intact to their owners.

Is mise

Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD

Fifteen Palestinian fishermen released

Posted on the ISM webpage on: November 19, 2008

The fifteen Palestinian fishermen who were abducted from Palestinian waters by the Israeli navy on the 18th November have been released. Their boats, however, have yet to be returned.

The three internationals who were also taken by the Israeli navy are still being held in Ben Gurion detention facility. All three face
deportation despite entering Gaza from international waters and not leaving Palestinian waters with the fishermen. At no point, before they were transported by the Israeli navy into Israel, did the internationals enter internationally recognised Israeli waters.

The lawyer representing the international human rights observers has been told that she can have access to them on Wednesday morning.

To view reports from the arrests on the 18th November click here and here

Activists on Hunger Strike in Gaza (Brit, Italian, US)

Afshin Rattansi talks to Jenny Linnell in Gaza..
Fifteen Palestinian fishermen and three internationals abducted from Palestinian waters off the coast of Gaza
November 18th, 2008 | Posted in Press Releases, Gaza Region
Gaza City, 10 a.m.- Fifteen Palestinian fishermen and 3 international Human Rights Observers (HROs) were surrounded by the Israeli Navy and taken from their boats 7 miles off the coast of Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip.

The fishermen and the HROs were transferred from 3 separate boats to the Israeli warships. Other Palestinian fishermen reported that the 3 boats were seen being taken north by the Israeli Navy.

The Human Rights Observers are Andrew Muncie, a Scottish British citizen, Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian citizen, and Darlene Wallach, an American citizen. They have been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) since they entered Gaza on ships with the first Free Gaza Movement voyage on the 23rd August 2008. All internationals have previous experience working with the ISM in the West Bank.

Palestinian fishermen still being held by Israeli authorities, three internationals fighting deportation with at least one engaging in a hunger-strike

Posted on the ISM webpage on: November 18, 2008

18th November - British politicians, MP Clare Short and Baronness Jenny Tonge, both issue statements regarding the arrests made by Israeli forces today

The fifteen Palestinian fishermen abducted from Palestinian waters this morning (10am 18th November) are still being held by Israeli authorities in Ashdod, while their boats have been confiscated. Legal proceedings were initiated today that petition for their immediate release.

The three international Human Rights Observers who were arrested while accompanying the fishermen have been taken to Ben Gurion detention facility as Israeli authorities starting deportation proceedings. Andrew Muncie, a British citizen who was one of the three internationals arrested has made it clear that he will non-violently resist any attempt to deport him and that he is engaging a hunger-strike until all fifteen of the Palestinian fishermen are released.

The status and plans of the other two international Human Rights Observers arrested, American citizen Darlene Wallach and Italian citizen Vittorio Arrigoni, are not yet known.

This action comes after international journalists have been denied access into Gaza due to the current siege.

British MP Clare Short has made this statement in regards to today:

” If there is to be any hope of peace in the Middle East, international law must be upheld. This means that the siege of Gaza must be lifted and the constant attacks by the Israeli navy on Gazan fishermen halted. Those who have been arrested must be released and the UK must insist that these illegal attacks on Gazans, fishing peacefully within their own water must cease”

Baroness Jenny Tonge said:

“The time has come for the international community, and especially the European Union to take action against Israel’s consistent breaking of international law. The EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended until Israel complies with this law.

It was only last week that I personally met with the fishermen whose boats are illegally water-cannoned and fired upon by Israeli gunboats as they peacefully fish in Gaza waters. The fishermen and human rights observers who were today taken unlawfully by Israel should be released immediately.”

URGENT: Kidnapped by the Israeli Navy

Tuesday, 18 November 2008 07:09 Written by FGM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fifteen Palestinian fishermen along with three internationals have been kidnapped in Palestinian waters by the Israeli Navy. They were fishing seven miles off the coast of Deir Al Balah, clearly in Gaza fishing waters and well within the fishing limit detailed in the Oslo Accords of 1994.

The fishermen and the human right's observers were transferred from 3 separate boats to the Israeli warships. Other Palestinian fishermen reported that the 3 boats were seen being taken north by the Israeli Navy.

The three internationals are Andrew Muncie from Scotland, Darlene Wallach from the United States and Victor Arrigoni from Italy. The U.K., U.S. and Italian embassies in Tel Aviv have been contacted and know about the abductions.

Please call the Israeli Ministry of Justice at +972 26 46 66 66 and register your outrage over these illegal actions by the Israeli Navy. Then call the Embassies in Jerusalem and make sure they know that many of us are appalled by Israel's illegal search and seizure.

Stephen Brown, UK Consulate +972 25 41 41 00
U.S. Consulate General + 972-2-6227230
Luigi MATTIOLO, Italian Ambassador +972 3 5104004

CONTACT:
Caoimhe (Gaza) + 972 598 273 960
Donna (Gaza) + 972 598 836 420
Fida (Gaza - Arabic) – + 972 599 681 669
ISM Media Office - + 972 2-2971824

------------------------

+ ISM Press Release

For Immediate Release:

Gaza City, 10 a.m.- Fifteen Palestinian fishermen and 3 international Human Rights Observers (HRO’s) were surrounded by the Israeli Navy and taken from their boats 7 miles off the coast of Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip.

The fishermen and the HRO’s were transferred from 3 separate boats to the Israeli warships. Other Palestinian fishermen reported that the 3 boats were seen being taken north by the Israeli Navy.

The Human Rights Observers are Andrew Muncie, a Scottish British citizen, Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian citizen, and Darlene Wallach, an American citizen. They have been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) since they entered Gaza on ships with the first Free Gaza Movement voyage on the 23rd August 2008. All internationals have previous experience working with the ISM in the West Bank.

Fellow activists have been unable to establish contact with the HRO’s or with the fishermen since they were abducted.

Since their arrival, the ISM volunteers have been regularly accompanying Palestinian fishermen who are regularly attacked by Israeli navy vessels from as little as 3km from shore. They have regularly filmed Israeli forces using live ammunition, shells and water cannons against unarmed fishermen.

When confronted by the Israeli Navy, the boats were 7 nautical miles from the shore of Deir al Balah, well within the fishing limit detailed in the Oslo Accords of 1994.

With regular claims that from the Israeli government that it has ‘disengaged’ from Gaza, these patrols and attacks from the Israeli navy, regularly occuring from as little as 3 miles from shore, represent a clear signal of the continuation of occupation of Gazan territory as well as regular breaches of the current cease-fire.

Over 40,000 people in Gaza make a living from the fishing industry, yet this community has been decimated by Israeli restrictions on fishing rights and the prevention of fuel from reaching the Gaza Strip.

According to the Fishing Syndicate in Gaza, fishermen need 40,000 litres of fuel and 40,000 litres of natural gas each day to operate throughout the high fishing season.

Starting in April each year, there is a migration of fish from the Nile Delta to Turkish waters which Palestinian fishermen have traditionally relied upon. Yet Israel limits fishing 6 miles from the Gaza shore and regularly attacks those who venture further than 3 miles - over 70 fishermen were arrested last year by the Israeli forces. The large schools that form the migration are usually found 10 miles from shore. The average catch of fish was over 3000 tons a year in the 1990’s, now it is around 500 tons directly due to the Israeli siege of Gaza.

Also, the water in which the fishermen of Gaza sail in is now receiving 50 million litres of sewage per day because the people of Gaza have no alternative due to the lack of power supplies to sewage treatment facilities.

Israeli Navy attacks Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza

alhiwarchannel
18 November 2008

قوات البحرية الاسرائيلية تهاجم مجموعة من الصيادين الفلسطينيين وتعتقل ثلاثة من اعضاء حركة غزة الحرة المناهضة للحصار

Israeli Army attack a group of Palestinian fishermen along with peace activists from the Free Gaza Movement and arrests three of them.

Activists arrested:

Darlene Wallach - USA
Andrew Muncie - Scotland, UK
Victor Arrigoni - Italy

ISM Gaza: Israeli navy shoots cables on Palestinian fishing boat

Posted on the ISM webpage: November 16, 2008

On 15th November, 2008, seven human rights observers accompanied four Palestinian trawling vessels from the port of Gaza City as they fished in Palestinian territorial waters. At approximately 09:00 an Israeli naval gunboat marked ‘833′ approached one of the fishing vessels and proceeded to circle it. A soldier, possibly the commander of the gunboat, began ordering the fishermen via megaphone to go south. The fishing boat was already heading in a south-westerly direction so this demand seemed arbitrary. Gunboat ‘833′ then fired live ammunition a metre from the stern of the fishing vessel. At 09:20 gunboat ‘833′ left the area but was replaced by another Israeli naval gunboat, this time marked ‘840′.

At the same time, another trawler accompanied by two ISM volunteers was still heading out to sea. At about 09:30 it was approached by an Israeli naval gunboat which fired warning shots in its general direction. By approximately 10:00 the fishing boat was about nine nautical miles offshore when it was attacked by an Israeli naval ship firing a water cannon in a 25 minute-long barrage. The VHF radio onboard the vessel was damaged as were the window frames. Before the water cannon assault, the fishermen had signalled to the soldiers their intention to change course but the Israelis attacked them anyway. After the assault, the naval ship blasted a football-style chant on its foghorn in a sarcastic fashion. The fishing boat then headed towards shore until it was approximately three nautical miles from the coast, resulting in a poor catch this day.

Meanwhile, gunboat ‘840′ had been trailing the first fishing vessel as it headed further out to sea. Then, at about 10:30 it closed in on the port quarter of the fishing boat and fired repeatedly at the stern, seeming to aim at the metal cables towing the net. Several of the fishermen and an ISM volunteer were at the stern signalling and shouting to the gunboat that they were unarmed. The bullets were striking so close to the fishing vessel that people on-board were being sprayed by seawater. It was a miracle no-one was injured. This attack lasted until about 11:00.

After a quiet afternoon, the gunboat marked ‘833′ which had opened fire on this fishing vessel earlier in the morning, re-appeared and harassed the fishing boat shortly after 16:00 until some time after 16:30. An ISM volunteer accompanied one of the fishermen to the very stern of the vessel where the navy was targeting its shooting at the metal trawling cables. After several rounds of shooting they actually hit one of the cables in the pair, then the other. There were several frenzied minutes when the fishermen battled desperately to pull in the cables by hand and secure them. The situation was impacted by the rough sea conditions at the time. An ISM volunteer contacted the navy via VHF radio to inform them that they had hit the boat’s equipment and the vessel was now in distress. Despite the navy regularly targeting the cables, they’ve only been hit once before on this particular vessel and that was five years ago.

The gunboat then began ordering the fishing boat to go west, which ironically meant going further out to sea. The fishermen shouted back their intention to go to shore, in fact to port, but the confusing demand persisted. The captain of the fishing vessel refused to be intimidated and began making way on his chosen course, whilst a fishermen and an ISM volunteer signaled clearly their intended direction. The fishing captain suspected that the gunboat commander was attempting to send them towards the naval ship bearing the water cannon, or possibly to a location where they would have been arrested. Fortunately the fishing boat managed to proceed safely to port as dark fell.

Testimony: Israeli navy shoots and wounds fisherman off Gaza coast

Report, B'Tselem, 14 November 2008

Muhammad Jihad Rizeq Musleh, 18, is a fisherman and a resident of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The testimony was given to Muhammad Sabah on 7 October 2008 at the European Hospital in the Gaza City:

I live in the Sultan neighborhood in Rafah with my parents, three brothers, and three sisters. In 2006, I began to work as a fisherman. My father taught me the trade and I worked with him for about two months. Then I went to work with Omar al-Bardawil. Omar has two boats, one a motorboat and the other a rowboat. When gas is available in the Strip, we use the motorboat, and when there isn't gas, we use the rowboat.

Two days ago [Sunday, 5 October], around 3:00am, I went fishing in the rowboat with Ahmad al-Bardawil, Omar's son. We rowed west about two kilometers from shore, with our back to the Rafah fishermen's port. At that point we were three kilometers from the Palestinian-Egyptian border. We knew the distances exactly because we have a GPS device.

We stopped by some rocks in the sea, where there are usually a lot of fishermen, and started to lower our fishing lines into the sea. We have a rope that that is 1,800 meters long and has floats and 600 hooks attached to it. We put bait on the hooks to catch different kinds of fish, like grouper and bream.

After we lowered 100 hooks, we saw an Israeli battleship approach us. When the ship was about 300 meters from us, the soldiers fired into the air and into the water near our boat. Ahmad and I pulled in the line and rowed north, toward the coast, to get away from the Israeli ship and go to another place to continue fishing. Next to us was another rowboat, with two fisherman, one of them Ahmad's cousin, Ali al-Bardawil, 20.

Our boat and the other boat rowed about 500 meters north, the Israeli ship continued to close in on us, to a distance of about 100 meters from us. It was frightening: the ship was huge and very tall, and the crew was firing in the air all the time.

I sat in the middle of the boat, rowing north. The soldiers fired into the water around the boat. Suddenly I felt pain in my left leg. I looked at my leg and saw I had been hit in the left shin. There was a hole and my leg was bleeding badly. I stopped rowing, told Ahmad I had been wounded, and lay down on my back. Ahmad rowed to get us out of there. The firing at us continued. The soldiers didn't say anything at all to us, at any stage.

Ahmad asked his cousin, who was in the other boat, to come over to our boat and help him row, so we'd get to shore as fast as possible. We reached the Rafah fishermen's port at 4:30am, which was about half an hour after I was hit.

At the port, Ahmad reported the incident to the naval police. They took me in their vehicle to the Red Crescent rescue station in Rafah. From there, I was taken by ambulance to Yusef al-Najar Hospital. When the doctors at the hospital saw I was severely wounded, they transferred me the same day to the European Hospital in Gaza City. There, the doctors told me there was an entry wound of two square centimeters and an exit wound of 10-15 square centimeters. They said the shot fractured my shinbone and severed arteries in my leg.

I was in surgery for more than four hours. The doctors tried to connect the arteries, but they failed, and the bleeding continued. So far, I have received six portions of blood in transfusions.

The doctors decided to transfer me to al-Muqassed Hospital, in Jerusalem. They prepared the referral documents, and I am waiting for the answer of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which coordinates these matters with the Israelis. They doctors said I had to go to hospital in Jerusalem to save the leg from amputation.

I don't understand why the naval soldiers fired at me and Ahmad. All we wanted to do was fish to put food on our families' table, given the hard financial conditions we live in. We had a GPS device and knew we were in an area in which fishing is permitted. We didn't endanger the soldiers and didn't have anything in the boat other than hook-lines and bait.

We fish regularly in this area, and this is the first time we had any problems. My great fear is that they'll have to amputate my leg, leaving me disabled for the rest of my life.

MSP asks Israeli embassy to investigate Israeli Defence Force “misinformation”

PRESS RELEASE

12 November 2008

For Immediate Use

Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, today announced that he had suggested the Israeli Embassy in London launch an inquiry into the “misinformation” he implied it was being fed by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).

The suggestion was made in a letter he sent today to Ms Ronit Ben Dor, the Embassy’s Head of Public Affairs, and follows correspondence on the subject of the IDF’s alleged aggressive interactions with Palestinian fishermen and international peace activists in waters under the authority
of Gaza.

Dr Wilson commented, “I originally wrote to the Embassy to protest against the IDF shooting in the direction of Gazan fishermen and the peace
activists trying to help them pursue their livelihood in waters in which they are entitled to fish, waters in which they have long been prevented from fishing by the IDF.

“Reliable reports suggest the Israelis are continuing to attack fishermen and protestors — by shooting, by the direct ramming of boats and by the
use of chemicals. This is in waters over which Israel has no jurisdiction. If the head of Public Affairs does not know this, as suggested by her claim that it is the activists who chose (and, by implication, are continuing to choose) to confront the IDF and that the IDF fired into the air (and, by implication, are continuing to fire into the air) — then she is being lied to by the IDF and she should investigate immediately.

“As I said in my letter, preventing fishermen from feeding themselves and their families does nothing to make Israelis safer.”

Contact

Dr Bill Wilson MSP
Tel +44 (0) 131 3486805
Fax +44 (0) 131 3486806
E-mail Bill.Wilson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Notes to Editors

1. The full text of Dr Wilson’s letter

http://www.billwilsonmsp.org/images//to_ronit_ben_dor_re_shooting_at_fishermen_121108.pdf

2. Further information on the interaction between elements of the Israeli
Defence Force, Palestinian fishermen and peace activists

http://www.freegaza.org

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2008/11/05/israeli-navy-spray-chemical-substance-at-gazan-fishermen/

Leaden sunset (postcards from Israel) Video

Video:

Leaden sunset (postcards from Israel)

Leaden sunsets
lethal postcards
sent from Israel to the fishermen in Gaza.

Stamped by Zionism, they brand the guardians of human rights with stamps* of antisemitism.

The postman** in these waters is armour-plated and covered in hatred,

the mailboxes look more like floating coffins.

I've never seen sunsets as crimson as those offshore from the Gaza coast.

There are many reasons why we go out fishing with Palestinian fishermen; some of them are concrete, some others are more symbolic, but no less essential.

One fishing day with us on board, according to the fishermen, is equivalent to one week of ordinary work offshore when, without internationals, they can't dare to sail for more than few miles from the port, where usually fishing is very poor. If they try to go further they risk death - or if they're lucky, "just" injury. It's worth remembering that before the siege was imposed by Israel, there were more than 3,500 fishermen working along the 40 km of the Gazan coasts; today just 700 of them are still trying to survive in a field which was used to be able to provide jobs for at least 40.000 people, if you consider mechanics, fishmongers etc as well as thousands of local fishermen that now are surviving with difficulty.

The day after one of our fishing actions, the fish is sold at the market at a knock-down price. The offer is bigger, prices go down, more mouths will eat. The owners of some of the fishing boats, before we arrived, had the serious intention of selling them, due to the very high price of the fuel and to the absence of a reliable future income. Since we arrived they've told us many times how our support, in addition to helping increase their incomes, has also acted as an injection of hope at a hopeless time.

In addition to the clearly visible achievements obtained with our fishing actions, there are some others more symbolic but equally edifying.

----read all:
http://guerrillaradio.iobloggo.com/archive.php?eid=1739&y=2008#commenti_5659626

Israeli Chemical Warfare on Palestinian Fishermen

To view original report on the Free Gaza Movement Website click here

Sunday, 09 November 2008 10:55 Written by For Immediate Release

Gaza : All day
9:15 am. From a small Palestinian fishing boat, David Schermerhorn watched as Israeli sailors aboard a large Navy Gunboat put on Hazmat suits and masks. Five minutes later, the fishermen and internationals were blasted by water from a cannon mounted atop the gunboat. The water was filthy, with an appalling chemical smell to it.
Listening to David on his satellite phone, we could hear water hitting the cabin, a harsh thumping sound. It was pouring into the cabin as the boat flooded with water that drained out through the back. The sharp staccato of machine guns in the background clearly sounded close to the boat.
Everyone aboard the fishing boat was drenched.
Nikolas Bolos, a chemical engineer from Greece and one of the DIGNITY crew members, collected samples of water in glass containers for later analysis. The three internationals on board reported that, from the moment the boat approached the Israeli-imposed six-mile limit, it came under attack by machine-gun fire and water pulsing out of the powerful cannons.
11:30 am. David, "They have been shooting at us with water cannon off and on for the past two hours. Water has been hitting the boat from only 50 feet away. Vik, the Italian international, was yelling at the Israeli gunboat that there are three internationals on board, and the Palestinians are just fishing. We've moved into the cabin to get away from the heavy water-cannon fire as the gunboat has been trying to break the windows with the water. I've moved away from them just in case they shatter."

Early afternoon. "The gunboat is moving to the front of the fishing boat and is starting to bombard it with water again. There's a real possibility that the boat might break apart from that angle." David whispered from inside the wheelhouse.
5:00 pm, the boats were returning to the port. The boat David was on had brought in about 100 kilos of fish instead of the 1500 kilos they had caught a week before. Throughout the day to protect their catch from contamination by the chemical spray, the fishermen had lowered the nets back into the water. Much of the catch was lost.
"The sun is setting, and all was calm once we passed the 6-mile limit. But we were soaked with whatever was in that water, and we can only hope that none of us will get sick We'll certainly know more tomorrow." David said.
Contact: Mary Hughes, Cyprus +357 96 75 00 59
Greta Berlin, Cyprus: +357 99 08 17 67
Osama Qashoo, +44 78 33 38 16 60
Angela Godfrey Goldstein, Jerusalem: +972 547 366 393

URGENT ALERT: Israeli gunboats firing on fishing boat (Update 11am)

To view original report on the Free Gaza Movement website click here

Sunday, 09 November 2008 03:33 Written by Migrator 

 

Greta Berlin just emailed this from Cyprus. She is on the satellite phone with David Schermerhorn. He is out fishing with Vik, Nicos and the Palestinians. They were attacked from the moment they passed the 6-mile limit. Water cannons and machine gun fire into the water. At 9:29, he called me again. The gunboat has come within 50 feet of the fishing boat and has cut across where the nets are.

Vik is yelling at the Israeli gunboat, telling them that three internationals are on board and they are all unarmed and they just want to go fishing. The pleas were met by water cannon so strong that all of the people on board went into the cabin for protection. David is trying to get water samples to bring back and have analyzed.

The connection is very difficult to understand, but I can hear Vik in the background and hear the machine gun fire and the water hitting the wheelhouse. They are trying to break the windows in the wheelhouse. Another fishing boat about 100 yards off is also being attacked. He then yelled in the phone that the boat was being hit by water from the front, that the Israeli gunboat is trying to actually break up the boat.

The connection just broke. Please put whatever pressure on that you can ...
Update:
At 10:53 an Israeli gunboat is off the port side of the fishing boat getting ready to spray dirty water on the crew and the fish. The crew is trying to raise the nets and the fish inside. The Israeli military on board the gunboat have masks on before they spray the boat, an indication that the water is going to be dirty.

The way point of the boat is .021 as the fishermen frantically try to raise their nets. The larger gunboat with the water cannon mounted on it has gone around to the winward side of the fishing boat, where they always shoot the water cannon. It is 50 yards off and preparing to fire as the nets are being hauled in as fast as the crew can work. As David is talking at 11:05, gunboat started to fire dirty water, attacking the crew and the fish. Nicos has collected the water in a sample jar and will bring it back for analysis. They are trying to ruin the catch.
Update: 11:23 The large gunboat has dropped back after spraying the crew with dirty water. The crew dropped the fish back into the sea to protect them and they were not hit. David said that the military men on the gunboat were wearing hazmat suits and masks, an indication of how dangerous the water must be. Everyone on board was hit, but no fish were ruined.

ISM Gaza: Gazan fisherman injured during Israeli water cannon attack

Posted on the ISM webpage on: November 6, 2008

On Friday 31st October, 2008, seven trawling vessels from the port of Gaza City were accompanied by ten international human rights observers. Activists from the International Solidarity Movement were joined by volunteers from the Free Gaza Movement who reached Gaza on October 29th on the MV Dignity. The fishing fleet left port at about 07:30.

By about 10:00 the fleet had scattered slightly and a couple of Israeli naval gunboats were on the scene, followed by a naval ship bearing a high-pressure water cannon on its bow. Two fishing vessels, approximately ten nautical miles offshore, endured a drawn-out onslaught from the water cannon. Throughout the morning different fishing boats were harassed by a number of Israeli naval vessels.

One of the fishing boats suffered particularly brutal attacks both in the morning and then later in the afternoon. From 11:00 to 11:50 it was attacked by an Israeli naval gunboat marked ‘832′ which fired machine guns in its general direction as well as shells from a cannon mounted on its foredeck. At one point, rounds of live ammunition were fired just a metre away from fishermen and an ISM activist onboard, seriously endangering their lives. They were at the stern of the vessel as the fishermen worked to raise their net and the navy was shooting at the net as it was being hauled in. The fishermen were experiencing some difficulties due to damage caused to their equipment. The navy was contacted via VHF radio but no reply was received. At 12:30, gunboat ‘832′ reappeared and began to threaten the trawler with intermittent gunfire, lasting until 12:45.

At 14:45 the same fishing boat headed out to approximately nine nautical miles offshore and was approached by a different naval gunboat - this time marked ‘907′ - which opened fire in a similar fashion to gunboat ‘832′. It was then joined by the naval ship armed with the water cannon. The navy proceeded to use this weapon against the fishing vessel and the persons onboard in a sustained attack.

A Palestinian fisherman was injured by flying glass when the high-pressure water smashed all the windows in the wheelhouse, despite them having been boarded up. He suffered a deep laceration on his right arm and was bleeding profusely. The fishermen signalled to gunboat ‘907′ that they had an injured person onboard, but the navy continued its assault regardless. The ISM activist on-board received blows from the water jet to the right-hand side of her body, particularly her head, neck and shoulder. It was not possible to communicate with the navy via VHF radio, as the set onboard the fishing vessel had become waterlogged and was no longer functioning.

One of the trawlers accompanied by both an ISM activist and a Free Gaza Movement volunteer was also severely attacked. According to David Schermerhorn of the FGM,

“Three naval vessels attacked us with machine gun fire and water cannons. All three boats have machine guns on board, one of them has a huge water cannon. The water from the cannon was so fierce, it blasted a lot of the equipment overboard as well as my GPS locator. At the time of the attack, we were about 9 miles offshore fishing. Several of us got on the radio to the Israeli navy and shouted, “We are human rights watchers. We are unarmed internationals, and we are recording everything you are doing. They completely ignored us and continued menacing all of the boats.”

These incidents constitute a serious breach of the current ceasefire agreement, not to mention a violation of international human rights law.

Updated on November 6, 2008

Israeli navy spray chemical substance at Gazan fishermen

Posted on ISM webpage: November 5, 2008

The Israeli navy continuously attacked Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza throughout yesterday (4th November), using live ammunition and a high-powered water cannon containing a noxious chemical substance.
International Human Rights Observers (HROs) accompanying several fishing boats off the coast of Gaza approximately 8 nautical miles from shore reported that the Israeli navy constantly shot live ammunition extremely close to the boats, damaging many of the fishing nets in the process.
The international HROs also reported the use of a high-powered water cannon that was continuously used against the boats. Not only does this water cannon regularly damages the fishing boats themselves, the HROs have reported that recently the water has contained a foul smelling chemical substance. It is assumed that this substance is the same that has been frequently used by Israeli forces against the non- violent protests against the construction of the annexation barrier in the West Bank villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin. The substance have however been taken for separate chemical analysis.
With the boats fishing 8 nautical miles from shore, this is well within the fishing limit detailed in the Oslo Accords of 1994. With regular claims that from the Israeli government that it has ‘disengaged’ from Gaza, these patrols and attacks from the Israeli navy, regularly occuring from as little as 3 miles from shore, represent a clear signal of the continuation of occupation of Gazan territory as well as regular breaches of the current cease-fire.
The use of chemical substances by the Israeli navy on Gazan fishermen outside of internationally recognised Israeli territorial waters, such as that occurred today, also directly contradicts the Chemical Weapons Convention that took force in 1997 and that is ratified by 149 countries. Within the convention it is detailed that “Each state party undertakes not to use riot control agents as a method of warfare.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), while citing the Chemical Weapons Convention, has made repeated statements on the use of chemical weapons, whether deemed ‘lethal’ or ‘non-lethal’, notably, “It should be emphasized that in situations of armed conflict this absolute prohibition applies to all biological and chemical agents, whether labeled “lethal” or “non-lethal”
Israel cannot claim that it has ‘disengaged’ from the Gaza Strip and not be in clear and direct contravention of these statements.
The violent attacks on Gazan fishermen by the Israeli navy appears to have escalated in recent weeks. International HROs have reported that
live ammunition is being fired continuously closer to the boats, while the damage to fishing boats has also increased.
On the 5th of October Mohammed Musleh was severely injured while fishing off the the coast of the Gaza Strip. He was shot with a 50mm bullet in the leg. He was recently transferred to Jerusalem, after much delay at the Erez, crossing in efforts to save his leg.
Over 40,000 people in Gaza make a living from the fishing industry, yet this community has been decimated by Israeli restrictions on fishing rights and the prevention of fuel from reaching the Gaza Strip.
According to the Fishing Syndicate in Gaza, fishermen need 40,000 litres of fuel and 40,000 litres of natural gas each day to operate throughout the high fishing season.
Starting in April each year, there is a migration of fish from the Nile Delta to Turkish waters which Palestinian fishermen have traditionally relied upon. Yet Israel limits fishing 6 miles from the Gaza shore and regularly attacks those who venture further than 3 miles – over 70 fishermen were arrested last year by the Israeli forces. The large schools that form the migration are usually found 10 miles from shore. The average catch of fish was over 3000 tons a year in the 1990’s, now it is around 500 tons directly due to the Israeli siege of Gaza.
Not only this, but the brutal effects of the siege, the water in which the fishermen of Gaza sail in is now receiving 50 million litres of sewage per day because the people of Gaza have no alternative.

Updated on November 5, 2008

‘The Israelis Attack us Every Day’

Originally posted on PCHR website on 5 November 2008:
Narratives Under Siege (23) ‘The Israelis Attack us Every Day’

Saber Al-Hissie has been a fisherman in Gaza for fifteen years. His 20 metre boat is scarred with bullet holes from the Israeli military, who harass the fishermen daily

“I’ve been a fisherman for fifteen years now, ever since I was fifteen years old. My father was a fisherman and so was my grandfather. I have spent half my life at sea. But every day we face problems from the Israeli gunboats: they follow us, and then they start shooting at us because they want to force us to stop working.” Saber Al-Hissie comes from a Gazan family of fishermen. His 20 metre vessel belongs to his father, who, after many years of fishing, has finally passed the family business over to Saber. There are more than 3,500 professional fishermen in the Gaza Strip, and the majority of them live in and around Gaza City, where the main harbour is located. The Al-Hissie family, like most of the other Gaza city fishermen, live in the sprawling refugee camp, known locally as the Beach Camp, near Gaza harbour. Gaza harbour awakens before dawn. The fishermen land the night catch, the fishmongers gather to buy the fish, and those fishermen who have spent the night in the luxury of their own beds at home arrive to start preparing for the early morning fishing. Nets are mended, fuel and water supplies replenished, and the boats are back out at sea before 7am. Saber Al-Hissie has a crewe of seven men and boys with him today, including thirteen year old Mahmoud, and eighteen year old Ali, who both regularly work as fishermen. Mahmoud is still at school, but Ali says he never went to school. “I always wanted to be a fisherman” he says, grinning. As we sail out of the harbour and head west, Saber Al-Hissie describes the restrictions that Israel is imposing on him and every other fisherman trying to earn a living in the Gaza Strip. “If we sail six miles out to sea, then maybe we will be safe” he says. “But if we go any further out to sea, the Israelis always harass us. They circle the boats, they shoot towards us, and recently they started using water cannons to attack us.” He explains that some fishermen still take the risk of sail further out than the six mile limit, where they can trawl for the richer stocks of fish in deeper waters. “But I don’t want my boat damaged so I stay within the [Israeli] limit” he adds. His boat is already scarred with bullet holes inflicted by the IOF. The fishermen often sail out of Gaza harbour in fleets. Some vessels stay fairly close together at the edge of the six mile limit for mutual protection, though a minority of fishermen sail on further, in defiance of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). But regardless of how far they sail, all the fishermen risk being shot, water cannoned, arrested and detained, and also having their vessels damaged, destroyed or confiscated. More than seventy Gaza fishermen were arrested by the IOF last year. Commercial fishing is an inherently risky profession, and has become increasingly more dangerous in Gaza because of the relentless IOF harassment and intimidation. Even before we reach six miles from the Gaza coast, we can see three Israeli gunboats speeding towards us. We are amongst a fleet of around ten Gazan fishing vessels that gradually disperse between six to eight miles from the coastline and drop their nets. The crew on board Saber’s boat become visibly tense as the Israeli gunboats begin circling individual vessels at high speed, causing huge waves that pitch the vessels. Soon we can clearly see fishing vessels being water cannoned by one of the Israeli gunboats. “The Israelis attack us every day” says one of the crew, Abu Mahmoud. “Until you see it for yourself, you cannot believe the situation we are facing.” Gazan fishermen say the Israelis are using dirty, possibly contaminated water in the high-speed water cannons, in order to force them back towards shore, despite the fact the fishermen have the absolute right to fish off their own coast. The Interim Arrangements signed between the PLO and Israel in 1994/5, stipulate that Gazan fishermen have the legal right to fish up to 20 nautical miles from the Gaza coastline. However, Israel has never honoured the Interim Agreements, and has consistently harassed and intimidated fishermen across the Gaza Strip, decimating the local fishing industry. Ten years ago, Gazan fishermen were hauling approximately 3,000 tons of fresh fish a year. But productivity has plummeted since the Second Intifada due to escalating IOF attacks, and now the fishermen are hauling less than 500 tons of fresh fish per year, and being forced to over-fish the shallow waters in close proximity to Gaza. The fishermen say the presence of a small group of international human rights observers from the Free Gaza Movement has improved the situation for those boats which are accompanied by the internationals - but these fishermen want their right to work without facing daily harassment and violence from the IOF. This manufactured crisis in the Gaza fishing industry is yet another part of the overall IOF siege and closure of Gaza, including its mass violations of the social and economic rights of the entire civilian population of the Gaza Strip. One of the Israeli gunboats speeds towards us, and uses a megaphone to order us back.. We are now at the edge of the six mile limit, and Saber refuses to be cowed. His crew calmly continues working, as the gunboat circles us at high speed and the boat pitches wildly. When the IOF start to shoot into the waters around us with a sub-machine gun, Saber turns his vessel back towards Gaza. “We just want to fish and support our families” he says. “We are not committing any crimes. But they are.”

Fishing bullets in Gaza Strip 4/11/2008

This is an ISM Gaza Strip video recorded on November 4th 2008, but released several months later. It shows the attack of Israeli Navy against Palestinian fishermen and it has been recorded from inside one of the gazan fishing boats.
It shows the bullet that after (most probably) a ricochet, nearly hit a young Palestinian fisherman

Activist puts himself on the (front) line of Gaza’s fishing war

To view original article, published by MidEast Youth on the 3rd November, click here

November 3rd, 2008
Ben Lynfield

Friday was a typical day at sea for Scottish pro-Palestinian activist Andrew Muncie, with Israeli machine gunfire raking the waters around the boat carrying him and the Palestinian fishermen whose cause he has embraced..

Mr. Muncie, 34, from Glasgow, Scotland is a non-violent participant in the little known battle off Gaza’s coast between the state of the art ships of the Middle East’s most powerful military and the rickety motor boats of Gaza’s fishing fleet.

On Friday, “there were three or four bursts in the general direction of our boat,” said Mr. Muncie, who makes his living as an online poker player. “In such a situation when we have cameras we start filming.”

“Two hours later, at around 1:00 pm, a large Israeli navy ship fired its water cannon against the boat for three or four minutes precisely when the fisherman were pulling in their nets.” Mr.Muncie added

Mr. Muncie said that the first incident occurred about 9 miles off the Gaza coast but that other boats he has been on have been stopped with Israeli machine gun fire as little as two or three miles off the coast. In response to a question for this article, Israeli army officials declined to specify what the fishing limit is.

The Israeli military says it takes action against the Gaza boats in order to thwart attempts to smuggle weapons and explosives into the Strip “Unfortunately, Gaza is turning more and more into a barrel of explosives, smuggled through the sea and through tunnels from Egypt,” says Israeli army spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovitch.

But Mr. Muncie and Israeli human rights groups say that Israel is harming fishermen who are simply trying to make a living. “Israel has the right to protect its population from threats but these measures have an impact on a greater population instead of those involved in attacks,” says Sarit Michaeli, spokeswoman of Israel’s B’tselem human rights group. “The impact of this, like other Israeli measures is to harm the economy. Fishermen can hardly leave shallow water before they are harassed.”

Maj. Leibovitch, the army spokeswoman, counters:“We have no intention to harm and do not act in a way to harm innocent people trying to make a living. The problem is with people smuggling explosives.”

Mr. Muncie is one of six volunteers affiliated with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement who escort fishermen. He arrived in Gaza in August from Cyprus on a boat that successfully—to his surprise—challenged the Israeli blockade of the Strip.He plans to stay in Gaza for another two months, he said.

One fisherman Mohammed Musleh, who was without foreign escort was seriously wounded in the leg by Israeli gunfire last month. “The Israeli soldiers and higher commanders are quite well aware they can shoot Palestinian civilians without any recourse and even without negative publicity,” Mr. Muncie says. “They are aware that the same doesn’t apply to foreigners like myself.”

“You see the soldiers on the boat with large machine guns opening fire. The feeling is they are firing at you and your heart jumps. But in retrospect I don’t believe they were trying to hit me because if they wanted to they would have done so.”

“All forms of non-violent resistance involve some calculated risk, what we do is a non-violent reaction to violent oppression and one has to accept these risks. The fishermen accept that they must face risks to just go about their jobs and feed their families. If they were to take no risks whatsoever they wouldn’t be able to fish at all, the Israelis would just push them further and further back to shore”

Mr. Muncie first became interested in the Palestinian issue in 2002 when a television report prompted him to find out more about the conflict and he “became aware there was a military occupation of several decades violating human rights and that it wasn’t two equal sides, it wasn’t a conventional military conflict.” He previously volunteered with ISM in the West Bank flashpoint of Hebron.

Maj. Leibovitch, the military spokeswoman, said that any explosives smuggled into Gaza would end up being used against Israeli civilians. “Unfortunately, our long and sad experience shows us there is no specific criteria for the average terrorist. It could be a fisherman, it could be a grandmother, it could be an educated scholar, it could be a woman who has a family. That’s why we suspect different angles of the population.”