Proving without a shadow of a doubt that Israel really did end its occupation of Gaza 3 years ago, its navy kidnapped 14 Palestinian fishermen and three foreign human rights activists off the Gazan shore.
From the freegaza.org website:
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.
For the full press release, please visit Free Gaza’s website.
The following video is dated September 1st, showing the regular abuse of Palestinian fisherman by the Israeli navy.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF3ZMy7ICDY]
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Israel doesn’t “kidnap” people, it “detains suspected terrorists” like the ones in that video who were attacking those Israeli gunboats with their nets.
It’s amazing no one was hit as close as those bullets were coming to the boat.
Posted by Sean | November 20, 2008, 11:05 pmThanks for the correction Sean.
You know what shocked me the most, and I suppose this is just me being naive, is how close the Israeli gunmen were to their victims as they calmly stood and shot machine gun rounds at the fishermen just yards away.
Posted by Mohammad | November 21, 2008, 7:37 amWait wait, I care about the internationals, but why are you bothering to mention the Gazans?
Posted by American Muslim Girl | November 21, 2008, 10:01 pmTowards the fishermen. If it were AT them, they wouldn’t be here.
“Stop and search” is standard procedure for a littoral state as vulnerable to sea-borne terrorism as Israel is, as 1978 and 1990 show. What probably happened is someone mouthed off and it was decided to teach them a lesson.
Israel actually cannot establish sea control, so that’s one criterion for occupation unfulfilled. Harassment of fishermen needs to stop, but Israel needs a naval presence for security concerns.
You fight terror by enabling daily life for the average citizen, and death for the terrorist. This is clumsy and ham-fisted and illegal in all kinds of ways but not surprising.
Posted by Eurosabra | November 22, 2008, 8:17 am