Khudari warns of IOF escalation in targeting Palestinian fishermen

[ 07/02/2010 - 04:34 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular anti siege committee, has warned of the escalating Israeli targeting of Palestinian fishermen after circulating trivial allegations and security pretexts. Khudari, in a press release on Sunday, said that arresting four fishermen and increasing shootings at fishing boats after claims of discovering barrels filled with explosives reaching Israeli coasts from Gaza point to the intention to escalate attacks on those fishermen. He called for international action to pressure the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) into desisting from further harassment of fishermen in violation of international laws. The IOA is depriving fishermen from fishing at sea and is chasing them in the mere two nautical miles allowed for them, the lawmaker said, describing such acts as "piracy". He said that the IOA practices were threatening thousands of fishermen with death or loss of sustenance for their children. Khudari unlearned that Gaza's needs of fish are not met due to such practices, adding that thousands of Palestinian families depend on fishing as their sole source of living.