Gaza's Fishermen

Check out these videos of one man trying to feed his family by fishing off the coast of Gaza. Shooting at fishermen and burning their boats is a routine pastime for the Israeli Defense Forces, though they can hardly be described that way. During the blockade, now older than two years, the IDF has openly restricted Gazan fisherman from going past 3 kilometers offshore (though their territorial rights extend far beyond that - several hundred kilometers if memory serves), but in practice they have always enforced even tighter boundaries designed to prevent fisherman from being able to catch enough fish.

Its quite disturbing to watch in these videos the utter pointlessness of this violence and harassment, and the lack of any sympathy for Palestinians trying to fish. The main point is that this violence and humiliation is completely senseless, neither is there a reason for it, nor is there a hint of a second thought by the IDF.

The blockade has driven Gaza into a state of humanitarian crisis, set the Gazan economy and society back to pre-1967 levels, and killed thousands of innocent individuals. Somehow, this doesn't seem to phase the Israeli government or its soldiers.

For more information, check out this news article from Al Jazeera, this recent write-up of the situation, or read this blog about the plight of Gaza's fishermen.