Rafah, 20 Ramadan 1434/28 Juli 2013 (MINA) – Palestinian fishermen have been banned by Egyptian authorities from sailing into Egyptian waters. It is the latest punitive measure slapped on Gaza following President Mohammed Morsi’s overthrow on July 3.
The fishermen often sailed toward Egyptian waters from their narrow fishing zone, which Israel has set to six nautical miles and which is described by local fishermen as a “pool,” al Monitor reported as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the Egyptian military banned fishing in the area of the northern Sinai towns of Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and El-Arish from July 18 until further notice.
The paper claimed that the reason behind the ban is to prevent the infiltration of Palestinians and agents from Gaza to Egypt by fishing boats.
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The head of the Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza, Nizar Ayesh, said that his organization was not officially informed that Gaza fishermen were no longer allowed to sail in the Egyptian waters.
“Egyptian gunboats always watched the borders between Gaza and Egypt, yet never banned any Palestinian boat from sailing to Egypt before last week,” Ayesh told Al-Monitor in an interview at the seaport on July 25.
Darweesh al-Assi, 43, a fisherman for more than 35 years, said that he always fished in the Egyptian waters before he heard from his colleagues that it was no longer permitted.“Two days ago, my sons went to the Egyptian vicinity but were turned back by Egyptian gunboats that previously allowed us,” Assi said.
While the Egyptian decision is a matter of Egyptian sovereignty — which no one has the right to interfere with — the ban is an additional obstacle on already suffering Palestinian fishermen, Ayesh said.
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Ayesh explained, “Gaza fishermen escape the Israeli violations and the restricted zone to the Egyptian open zone, but now their space is totally besieged.”
In addition to limited fishing zones, Gaza’s fishermen are also suffering from a lack of fuel after the Egyptian military demolished many smuggling tunnels stretching under the borders between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula.
Egyptian media accusation impact
Egypt’s harsh measures against Gaza come against a backdrop of a fierce Egyptian media campaign accusing Hamas-affiliated fighters of infiltrating Egypt to support the Muslim Brotherhood.
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According to Ayesh, 80% of Gaza’s fishermen are now out of work due to Egypt’s new restrictions, which come on top of Israel’s siege of Gaza’s waters.
Israel restricted the fishing zone to three nautical miles following Hamas’ kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2007. The Oslo Accords signed in 1993 with the Palestinian Authority stipulate that Gaza’s fishing zone should extend to 20 nautical miles.
The zone was then extended to six nautical miles as part of the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire in November 2012, but Israel intermittently reimposes the restriction to three nautical miles each time violence flares. (T/P03/P04)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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