ianstone
06-05-2010, 06:52 PM
Middle East (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east)
And so Gaza's siege will not be broken today (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/06/05/and-so-gazas-siege-will-not-be-broken-today)
By Nicole Johnston (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/profile/nicole-johnston) in
Middle East (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east)
on June 5th, 2010.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/blogpostFeaturedImage/gazafishermanbradleymclennan.jpg Photo by Bradley McLennan
For fishermen in Gaza, failure of MV Rachel Corrie to break the Israeli blockade means no end to siege on their industry.
It seems officials in Gaza never really held out any hope that the MV Rachel Corrie would break the siege.
On Saturday morning there was no welcome committee, protests or preparations at the small harbour, only a few fishing boats and a sense of resignation that the siege would not be broken.
The Rachel Corrie did not even appear as a speck on the horizon from Gaza city.
All the action was at sea, more than 20 nautical miles out, on the border between international waters and an area Israel calls a "closed military zone". It is closed to all, except Israel.
So the blockade on the waters off Gaza held fast.
And for fishermen here, that means no end to a siege on their industry. Under it, they are only allowed to work within three nautical miles of the coast.
In fishing terms – this is nothing. Hundreds of fishermen are forced to trawl the same confined area every day. It’s like working in a fish bowl.
Before the siege, they could sail out to the 12 nautical mile mark. This meant lots of space to catch plenty of fish.
But now the blockade has crippled their industry. Fishermen say there’s very little left to catch close to shore. Instead, they cross illegally into Egyptian territorial waters to find their catch.
We decided to cross into Egypt with them.
Forced to fish in Egypt
In the southern Gaza city of Rafah we meet 19-year-old-fisherman Mohammed al-Bardawil. His family is grieving.
His father was recently killed in Egyptian waters. On the night it happened Mohammed was with him, only a few metres away in another boat.
Mohammed says his father’s small fishing vessel was deliberately hit by an Egyptian naval vessel patrolling the sea border.
"Of course the Egyptians killed my father. I saw them talking to my father. My father said ‘We want to go back’. And the navy said we are refusing to allow you to go back and we will kill you. The incident only took a minute.
“The Egyptian navy ship rammed by father’s boat. I yelled ‘Dad’. I looked at the water and I saw blood. The Egyptian boat turned on the lights and my father was bleeding from his head. I pulled him onto my boat and he died.”
Egypt has made no comment about the death.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/blogpostFeaturedImage/images/IMG_0255.jpg
There’s a dignified composure in the way Mohammed tells his story. He now carries the responsibility of providing for his large family of brothers and sisters.
Out to sea
Mohammed takes us to the beach in Rafah and prepares the boat.
A handful of small brothers and cousins help to push it off the sand, over the waves and out past the break. Now we are at sea.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/blogpostFeaturedImage/images/IMG_0240.JPG
We quickly leave the coast of Rafah behind and sail past the Egyptian port town of El Arish.
We have now entered Egyptian waters.
But even though we are on the ocean, buffeted by the wind and sea spray and feeling a great sense of freedom as the boat moves through the water – the reality is completely different.
To the west of us are Israeli naval ships, patrolling the three nautical mile boundary that Israel controls. Stray too far and you could be shot.
To our south are at least two Egyptian navy ships, patrolling their own border with Gaza.
And speeding past us, a few hundred metres away, are six fishing boats from Gaza. They have been working inside Egypt and are now heading home.
One fisherman told us he can catch more fish in one day in Egypt than he could catch in two years working inside the besieged waters off Gaza’s coast.
And generally Egypt turns a blind eye to Gaza’s fishermen working in their waters.
But there have been reports of harassment and violence from some of the Egyptian naval ships. Egypt has not responded to the fishermen's accusations.
On the other hand, the only reason there are any fish available to buy in Gaza’s small market is because of Egypt. If Gaza’s fishermen did not cross the border every day and bring back a catch, the fish market would be practically empty.
Steering the boat with the skill of someone born with salt in his veins, Mohammed says he doesn’t want to fish in Egypt any longer. He would rather work inside Gaza’s waters as his family has done for generations.
But he says there is no choice.
So Mohammed will continue to visit the waters where his father was killed, simply trying to catch enough fish to support his family. Just to get by for as long as this blockade lasts
Tunnelling to Egypt (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/06/04/tunnelling-egypt)
By Nicole Johnston (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/profile/nicole-johnston) in
Middle East (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east)
on June 4th, 2010.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/blogpostFeaturedImage/nicolejo.jpg Photo by Bradley McLennan
A trip, on all fours, to see how food and essential items are smuggled into Gaza.
Filming a news report on camera (http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2010/06/20106410020190749.html) in an underground tunnel seemed like a good idea.
Until we were half way through our 450 metre crawl and the lights went out.
Stories about the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza usually involve a few shots of the entrance and the first 50 to 100 metres of the passage.
But we wanted to show the exact point where Palestinian tunnel smugglers have managed to cut through a thick metal underground wall that Egypt has pounded into the sand to try and break the smuggling trade.
This meant crawling all the way to the Egyptian border.
There are some tunnels large enough to smuggle a car into Gaza. We were not so lucky.
Our tunnel was no more than 1.5 metres high. If we were going to make it to the border we would have to crawl on all fours.
Two tunnel "guides", the cameraman and I started making our way through the tunnel with light provided by electricity cables hanging overhead.
The electricity did not last for long. Then we relied on dim lights from mobile phones to light up the way.
It was a dark and silent crawl though the tunnels of Gaza.
Last year some 1200 tunnels were operating. Today that number has dropped to around 400.
Egypt tried to block the tunnel trade at the end of last year by building a massive underground steel wall.
But it would take more than that to stop the smugglers. They use oxygen and gas torches to cut through the steel.
And so the trade of goods is flourishing. Fridges, generators, microwaves, food, fish and cigarettes come through the tunnels.
Israel claims Hamas also uses them for smuggling in weapons and money.
After 30 minutes, which felt like three hours, we arrived at the underground metal wall on the border with Egypt.
The smugglers had sliced through the steel. There was a gaping hole and the passage continued all the way into Egypt. But this was as far as we would crawl.
The smugglers say Egypt packed the metal wall with sand to make it vulnerable to collapse. We did not stay here for long.
After 30 metres of crawling back we stopped and our smugglers told us we would be catching a "train" to the entrance. We didn't take them seriously and wondered what they were really up to.
But true to word, three minutes later our train arrived.
It was a thick black plastic carriage, connected by a cable to the entrance of the tunnel. We hopped in, crouched down, our heads between our legs.
The camera was rolling, held by our "guide" who was at the front of the carriage.
I just hoped this train would not derail.
Seven minutes later a trip I'll never forget was over.
We were back at the entrance to the tunnel. Everyone was safe. We were whisked up the shaft to the surface, back into the blinding sun.
Outside Egypt is still building the metal wall, hammering thick pillars into the ground.
It seems a waste of time. As soon as the tunnel is blocked, smugglers say they will cut it open again.
With Gaza under blockade, the tunnel trade is thriving and not even an Egyptian wall can stop it.
I'm old and soft now because as soon as I see kids suffer, I loose it,
as would most none Arab grand parents. I openly admit I'm weak.
The sense of impotence must be unbearable to most decent people.
And so Gaza's siege will not be broken today (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/06/05/and-so-gazas-siege-will-not-be-broken-today)
By Nicole Johnston (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/profile/nicole-johnston) in
Middle East (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east)
on June 5th, 2010.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/blogpostFeaturedImage/gazafishermanbradleymclennan.jpg Photo by Bradley McLennan
For fishermen in Gaza, failure of MV Rachel Corrie to break the Israeli blockade means no end to siege on their industry.
It seems officials in Gaza never really held out any hope that the MV Rachel Corrie would break the siege.
On Saturday morning there was no welcome committee, protests or preparations at the small harbour, only a few fishing boats and a sense of resignation that the siege would not be broken.
The Rachel Corrie did not even appear as a speck on the horizon from Gaza city.
All the action was at sea, more than 20 nautical miles out, on the border between international waters and an area Israel calls a "closed military zone". It is closed to all, except Israel.
So the blockade on the waters off Gaza held fast.
And for fishermen here, that means no end to a siege on their industry. Under it, they are only allowed to work within three nautical miles of the coast.
In fishing terms – this is nothing. Hundreds of fishermen are forced to trawl the same confined area every day. It’s like working in a fish bowl.
Before the siege, they could sail out to the 12 nautical mile mark. This meant lots of space to catch plenty of fish.
But now the blockade has crippled their industry. Fishermen say there’s very little left to catch close to shore. Instead, they cross illegally into Egyptian territorial waters to find their catch.
We decided to cross into Egypt with them.
Forced to fish in Egypt
In the southern Gaza city of Rafah we meet 19-year-old-fisherman Mohammed al-Bardawil. His family is grieving.
His father was recently killed in Egyptian waters. On the night it happened Mohammed was with him, only a few metres away in another boat.
Mohammed says his father’s small fishing vessel was deliberately hit by an Egyptian naval vessel patrolling the sea border.
"Of course the Egyptians killed my father. I saw them talking to my father. My father said ‘We want to go back’. And the navy said we are refusing to allow you to go back and we will kill you. The incident only took a minute.
“The Egyptian navy ship rammed by father’s boat. I yelled ‘Dad’. I looked at the water and I saw blood. The Egyptian boat turned on the lights and my father was bleeding from his head. I pulled him onto my boat and he died.”
Egypt has made no comment about the death.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/blogpostFeaturedImage/images/IMG_0255.jpg
There’s a dignified composure in the way Mohammed tells his story. He now carries the responsibility of providing for his large family of brothers and sisters.
Out to sea
Mohammed takes us to the beach in Rafah and prepares the boat.
A handful of small brothers and cousins help to push it off the sand, over the waves and out past the break. Now we are at sea.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/blogpostFeaturedImage/images/IMG_0240.JPG
We quickly leave the coast of Rafah behind and sail past the Egyptian port town of El Arish.
We have now entered Egyptian waters.
But even though we are on the ocean, buffeted by the wind and sea spray and feeling a great sense of freedom as the boat moves through the water – the reality is completely different.
To the west of us are Israeli naval ships, patrolling the three nautical mile boundary that Israel controls. Stray too far and you could be shot.
To our south are at least two Egyptian navy ships, patrolling their own border with Gaza.
And speeding past us, a few hundred metres away, are six fishing boats from Gaza. They have been working inside Egypt and are now heading home.
One fisherman told us he can catch more fish in one day in Egypt than he could catch in two years working inside the besieged waters off Gaza’s coast.
And generally Egypt turns a blind eye to Gaza’s fishermen working in their waters.
But there have been reports of harassment and violence from some of the Egyptian naval ships. Egypt has not responded to the fishermen's accusations.
On the other hand, the only reason there are any fish available to buy in Gaza’s small market is because of Egypt. If Gaza’s fishermen did not cross the border every day and bring back a catch, the fish market would be practically empty.
Steering the boat with the skill of someone born with salt in his veins, Mohammed says he doesn’t want to fish in Egypt any longer. He would rather work inside Gaza’s waters as his family has done for generations.
But he says there is no choice.
So Mohammed will continue to visit the waters where his father was killed, simply trying to catch enough fish to support his family. Just to get by for as long as this blockade lasts
Tunnelling to Egypt (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/06/04/tunnelling-egypt)
By Nicole Johnston (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/profile/nicole-johnston) in
Middle East (http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east)
on June 4th, 2010.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/blogpostFeaturedImage/nicolejo.jpg Photo by Bradley McLennan
A trip, on all fours, to see how food and essential items are smuggled into Gaza.
Filming a news report on camera (http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2010/06/20106410020190749.html) in an underground tunnel seemed like a good idea.
Until we were half way through our 450 metre crawl and the lights went out.
Stories about the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza usually involve a few shots of the entrance and the first 50 to 100 metres of the passage.
But we wanted to show the exact point where Palestinian tunnel smugglers have managed to cut through a thick metal underground wall that Egypt has pounded into the sand to try and break the smuggling trade.
This meant crawling all the way to the Egyptian border.
There are some tunnels large enough to smuggle a car into Gaza. We were not so lucky.
Our tunnel was no more than 1.5 metres high. If we were going to make it to the border we would have to crawl on all fours.
Two tunnel "guides", the cameraman and I started making our way through the tunnel with light provided by electricity cables hanging overhead.
The electricity did not last for long. Then we relied on dim lights from mobile phones to light up the way.
It was a dark and silent crawl though the tunnels of Gaza.
Last year some 1200 tunnels were operating. Today that number has dropped to around 400.
Egypt tried to block the tunnel trade at the end of last year by building a massive underground steel wall.
But it would take more than that to stop the smugglers. They use oxygen and gas torches to cut through the steel.
And so the trade of goods is flourishing. Fridges, generators, microwaves, food, fish and cigarettes come through the tunnels.
Israel claims Hamas also uses them for smuggling in weapons and money.
After 30 minutes, which felt like three hours, we arrived at the underground metal wall on the border with Egypt.
The smugglers had sliced through the steel. There was a gaping hole and the passage continued all the way into Egypt. But this was as far as we would crawl.
The smugglers say Egypt packed the metal wall with sand to make it vulnerable to collapse. We did not stay here for long.
After 30 metres of crawling back we stopped and our smugglers told us we would be catching a "train" to the entrance. We didn't take them seriously and wondered what they were really up to.
But true to word, three minutes later our train arrived.
It was a thick black plastic carriage, connected by a cable to the entrance of the tunnel. We hopped in, crouched down, our heads between our legs.
The camera was rolling, held by our "guide" who was at the front of the carriage.
I just hoped this train would not derail.
Seven minutes later a trip I'll never forget was over.
We were back at the entrance to the tunnel. Everyone was safe. We were whisked up the shaft to the surface, back into the blinding sun.
Outside Egypt is still building the metal wall, hammering thick pillars into the ground.
It seems a waste of time. As soon as the tunnel is blocked, smugglers say they will cut it open again.
With Gaza under blockade, the tunnel trade is thriving and not even an Egyptian wall can stop it.
I'm old and soft now because as soon as I see kids suffer, I loose it,
as would most none Arab grand parents. I openly admit I'm weak.
The sense of impotence must be unbearable to most decent people.