Israelis keep a fishy watch

Israelis keep a fishy watch: Since late June, when an Israeli soldier was taken captive by Palestinian militants during what one Israeli military source called "a daring commando raid" on an Israeli army post on the Gaza border, there has been a total ban on fishing by Palestinians. The Israeli army asserts the ban is imposed to prevent Palestinian militants from squirreling the captured Israeli soldier Shalit to Egypt by sea. A cursory study of the disabled and bullet-riddled boats beached at the Gaza Port reveals that many fishermen defy the Israeli ban and have paid a significant price. What is our choice," asked el-Amoudi, as he weighed the impact of his family going hungry versus the danger of fishing the tiny Gaza coastline. Collectively, Palestinian fishermen have seen their monthly catch drop from 823 tonnes in June 2000 to as low as 50 in late 2006. The World Food Programme, which feeds about a quarter of a million of Gaza's most destitute, has issued an urgent appeal over malnutrition resulting from the removal of fish and other animal proteins from the diet in Gaza.