The Guardian publishes what appears at first sight to be a story of hope and encouragement from Gaza surrounding the growth of fish farms. To his credit, Peter Beaumont states that “All the farms in Gaza are vulnerable to the instabilities resulting from Hamas rule.”
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However, it wouldn’t be a Guardian story without something to blame on Israel:
The Palestinian fishing industry operates under strictly enforced restrictions. An exclusion zone policed by Israel limits the industry’s range to within six miles off Gaza’s coast. Fishermen risk being shot at, arrested and having their catch confiscated.
How about some much needed context? Restrictions on Palestinian fishing are undoubtedly causing difficulties for Palestinian fishermen. But is Israel deliberately setting out to strangle the Palestinian fishing industry in a fit of malevolence?
Of course not.
Two hyperlinks to other stories also lacking the same context are no excuse for failing to point out why Israel needs to enforce a maritime exclusion zone. The main reason is smuggling of weapons to Hamas. As recently as May 2016, the IDF reported on the arrest of a Gazan fisherman:
In a combined effort between the Israeli Navy, ISA, and the Israeli Police, forces arrested Salim Jamal Hassan Na’aman in April 2016. He was apprehended after his vessel deviated from the designated fishing zone.
Na’aman explained to his investigators that he was involved in smuggling weapons, ammunition, and materials used to manufacture rockets intended for Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, he conveyed information on Hamas plans to use fishermen to disguise terror activity and how fisherman support smuggling efforts between Gaza Strip and Egypt.
The Guardian could also have mentioned other attempts to exploit the fishing zone by bringing in weapons to the Gaza Strip from the sea in craft disguised as fishing boats such as in the IDF video below from 2015.
Instead, lack of context keeps the scales in front of The Guardian’s readers’ eyes where it comes to legitimate Israeli security concerns.
