Monday, December 24, 2012

Gaza Cease-Fire Expands Fishing Area, but Risks Remain - NYTimes.com

photo by Wissam Nassar/NY Times
Gaza Cease-Fire Expands Fishing Area, but Risks Remain - NYTimes.com:By  and 
 "GAZA CITY — Khader Bakr, a 19-year-old fisherman, was thrilled to hear that he could now fish up to six nautical miles from the coast, up from the three-mile limit Israel had had in place since 2009. The change was part of the cease-fire deal that halted last month’s fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

The deal that halted fighting between Israel and Hamas allows Palestinian fishermen to go six nautical miles out to sea, instead of three, increasing the quality and quantity of catches — at least at first.
But testing the waters late last month, Mr. Bakr apparently sailed out too far. An Israeli gunboat patrolling against arms smuggling ordered him to stop and strip to his underwear. As the Israelis sank his boat, he jumped into the sea, and was hauled aboard the Israeli vessel for questioning."

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