UN report: IDF barring Gazans' access to farms, fishing zones
Humanitarian affairs office: Israel restricts entry to 17% of Gaza lands, 85% of beachfront zone, enforces restrictions with live fire.
By Akiva Eldar Tags: Gaza IDF UNOver the last ten years, the Israel Defense Forces have increasingly restricted Palestinian access to farmland on the Gazan side of the Israeli-Gaza border as well as to fishing zones along the Gaza beach, a United Nations report revealed Thursday.
 |
Palestinian fishermen preparing their boats before leaving the Gaza City port to fish on the Mediterranean sea. |
| Photo by: AP |
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) wrote in the report, complied in cooperation with the World Food Program (WFP), that Israel's justification for these restrictions was the prevention of attacks on Israel, including the firing of rockets.
The report was compiled in an effort to understand the extent of the restrictions as well as their effect on the Palestinians' sense of personal security, their ability to make a living and their ability to access services. The report was based on more than 100 interviews and focus group meetings, as well as the analysis of data gathered from other sources.
According to the report, since 2008 the IDF has prevented access to land up to 1,500 meters outside the Green Line, and to naval zones up to 4.5 kilometers from the shore. All in all the IDF restricts access to 17 percent of Gaza's territory. At sea, the fishermen are completely barred from 85 percent of the naval territory to which they are entitled under the Oslo Accords.
The report estimates that some 178,000 individuals are directly affected by these access restrictions.
According to OCHA, the IDF enforces uses life fire on individuals who enter restricted zones. Though in most cases the troops fire warning shots, 22 people have been killed and 146 have been wounded in such incidents since the end of Operation Cast Lead in January 2009. The report further argues that this method of enforcement violates international humanitarian law, and that the local Palestinian population was never informed by Israel of the exact nature of the restrictions.
The research conducted by OCHA also suggested that the IDF has leveled farmland and destroyed personal property situated in restricted areas in efforts to keep Palestinians out. The farmers who own the lands have tried to make up the lost income with alternate forms of farming, the report argues, but their ability to harvest their crops is limited and the profits from the alternate methods comprise a fraction of the income generated on the original land. OCHA estimated some $308 million in losses as a direct result of the Israeli restrictions.
Most of the farmers interviewed for the report said that since the expansion of the restricted zone they have lost more than two thirds of their income. Others reported that their income has been entirely eliminated. The same was true for Gaza fishermen, who have lost an estimated $26.5 million over the last five years.
Other effects of the restrictions include the deterioration in the quality of food consumed by Gazans, gradual changes in diet (from fresh produce and meat to carbohydrate-rich cheap items), decrease in school attendance and a decrease in the age of marriage for girls, the report maintained.
The IDF policy also affects access to schools, seven of which are inside restricted areas, the students' and teachers' security, the quality of education and academic achievements, the report argued.
OCHA called on Israel to lift the restrictions immediately and fulfill it international humanitarian obligation. The organization especially stressed its call on Israel to refrain from opening fire at civilians and destroying their personal property.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
And the Israeli right wing doesn't understand why flotillas keep going towards Gaza. This is a large part of the reason. Jasper, You can't plant cucumbers if there is an official policy if killing the seed planter, without checking to see what kind of seed is being planted. The policy plants the seed of hatred.
..from this state. Nothing good can be expected of them, unless for self-beneficial reasons. The shame is that the Palestinians' rich Arab neighbors essentially facilitate these crimes.
Hamastan (the Gaza Strip) is in a state of war with Israel. Therefore in accordance with the 3rd Geneva Convention and the Law of the Sea, Israel is within her rights to impose land and naval blockades on the Gaza Strip to check for and if necessary confiscate war material. If you want the blockade to be lifted, then get Hamas to sign a perminent peace treaty with Israel first. And no half-assed hudnas or tahadiyehs this time either.
There does at least seem some kind of military logic in the IDF clearing areas along the border. It would be nice to see the IDF being more flexible and allowing access at times when there are very few missiles, but that's a different question. What's the supposed military point of penning the fishermen in? I can see some kind of military logic in the naval blockade, though, again it should have been lifted by now, and there should be access for civilians and civilian goods. I know Hamas have launched a small number of attempts to float explosives along the coast, but that can't justify shooting fishermen. What's the supposed logic of it? Or is there no logic? Is it simply collective punishment again?
build them schools and infrastructure, or even establish university scholarships for them. that would help, for that would change their impression of Israel. Hamas would soon lose its base. what's happening now, acting like a shortsighted, brainless bully won't help at all. it makes Palestinians more desperate and, what is worse, vengeful. and rightly so.
Lower academic achievement means that the young people of Gaza will become less educated and more susceptible to well funded (from Saudi) extremist schools teaching the most brutal and radical form of Islam. Just like they've done in Pakistan. This is the opposite of the much more moderate traditional Palestinian religious views and to the high value placed on education in Palestinian culture. This development does not bode well for either the Palestinians or the Israelis...
Lower academic achievement means that the young people of Gaza will become less educated and more susceptible to well funded (from Saudi) extremist schools teaching the most brutal and radical form of Islam. Just like they've done in Pakistan. This is the opposite of the much more moderate traditional Palestinian religious views and to the high value placed on education in Palestinian culture. This development does not bode well for either the Palestinians or the Israelis...
good job, Israel. just keep on. I cant wait to see comments in defence of this crime
What kind of immoral state we have become? Destroying personal property? Opening fire at civilians? How can we expect the world to support us the way they used to do it decades ago? Either we stop this crazy methodology of security measures or the condemnation all over the world will increase even more.
More like police state.
Sorry, but this just doesn't add up. If they are good enough to build a luxury mall, they are good enough to shop there.
The illegals are helping to break America.
Try to read the writing on the wall, Israel! Note that the oppression of the Gazans leads to girls marrying younger and having more babies. More people with nothing to lose and an understandable hatred for Israel. Israel's security policy leads to Israel's insecurity.
Assuming there is a crisis, which there is NOT! Point the finger at HAMAS, not the Israelis. No crisis in the west bank? Why? Because Hamas has no (very little) influence there.
"The organization especially stressed its call on Israel to refrain from opening fire at civilians and destroying their personal property." No doubt they will stop the offensive behavior immediately. Ha ha!
I do not recall anything in the Oslo Accords allowing people in Gaza to send 8000 rockets across to Israel, plant bombs, tried to capture Israeli citizens, set up snipers to fire across at Israeli citizens. Once Gaza stops acting like an enemy, I'm sure Israel would be only too happy to let the farmers and fishermen go back to the ordinary and peaceful pursuits
that you would not like taken from you. History will come back to bite you.
For finding this out. What ever give this one away?
The world's "most moral army" wouldn't do such shallow things.
Clearly the Israeli's are trying to eliminate any form of nutritious food from the Palestinians diets. Forcing all the ills that come from poor diets onto them.When will the world step and end this unacceptable nightmare for the people of Gaza? Why are Israeli's so hateful and immoral? Sure the rockets do no good, but they haven't done the type of damage or caused the number of deaths that would warrant the actions Israel has taken or the deaths the Israeli's have caused. A large part of the problem, in my opinion, is that for whatever reason Israeli's really do believe their lives are more valuable than everyone else's lives. I just don't get it.
What would the US do If Cuba fired 8,000 rockets into Key West resulting in only "a few" deaths?
They are brainwashed into believing they are superior - this is Zionist teaching and starts young. Palestinians really are not human beings to them - just one example of this has been exposed by the recent trophy photos. It is hard to fathom but true and the world is shocked by it..
I wonder how Israel has any friends left at all. I had no idea they were taking pot-shots at Palestinian fisherman when they fancied some target practice. Totally indefensible.
another 'anti-zionist' piece of slander against an innocent army with the highest moral values, defending their poor citizens against the vruel onslaught of those terrorist ... fishermen and farmers. No, last few days we have already read many reports about the moral decay of the IDF ad this is just another one. But fact is that this decay started more then 60 years ago, when zionist terrorist groups like Lehi and Stern commited their violent crimes against Palestinians. Difference now is that people in the world are starting to open their eyes and see the utter cruelty of the IDF occupation of Palestine.
Your terror has affected the daily lives of the people you claim to represent. Your people will suffer so long as you wany to kill and terrorize Israel and Jews. Pretty simple equation, why is any of this a surprise??
the IDF works like a robot? no moral qualms? only Hamas makes decisions? no, the IDF chooses to shoot civilians, to imprison them, to break every rule in the book of humantarian law.
What the Gazans expect when they declare without hesitation that the reason of their existence is to destroy the country at the other side of the border.
I don't get it. Why are IDF attacking Palestinean fishermen by shooting at them? I can see a reason to have a "buffert zone" at the east side of Gaza but why shooting at the fishermen? Please don't say that it would be in selfdefense because such claims would just be ridiculous.
Grow up isreal....
... if they would only resist the temptation to bury explosives under the fence and take shots at people on the other side. Likewise, they could go as far out into the Med as they wanted if they were only out there to fish. It is amazing the UN would waste paper and time by publishing such naive tripe
When Israel pulled the settlers out of gaza, they left the hydroponic vegetable farms in perfect working order and the gazans trashed them.
As many believe more likely to do with highlighting this most immoral of all civilized democracies doing something which reflects its well earned reputation.
...the thugs of Hamastan as launching grounds for attacks on Israel, a UN member state, and its civilian population. Therefore, I would expect the UN and other international organizations, governmental or not, to place their pressure on the rulers of Hamastan. Such expectation, however, is much too naive in the cynical world in which we live; the world in which the very first of all human rights, the right to live and to protect one's life, when it comes to the Jew in society becomes a non-human right...
If Israel has the right to shoot across the border at them, surely you agree they have the same right (to shoot across the border at you).
Most moral army in the world would not do this harm to other people.
The people of Gaza are constantly under siege, and live a very oppressed life. Blockades, water controlled, not allowed to export, and unable to get out. Whichever way it is portrayed by Israel, this is the basic fact.
.. can travel and export via Rafah. Where is the problem? No passports from the PA?
That is the hamas propoganda. They are inhumane conditions if full grocery stores and busy malls (news malls) are considered inhumane.
There is no work and therefore no money to buy food. I know this for certain, I am in touch with a charity there.
Hamas government can issue their own passport or travel documents.
when will the world get rid of this overbloated anti-Israel body which costs the world a fortune. Why didn't they find out where Gilad Shalit was whilst they were in Gaza?
And they also call for world peace.
What possible connection can you make between a farmer trying to make a living cultivating his land and a guerilla firing rockets? surely you don't think they are the same person?