source: http://fishingunderfire.blogspot.com/2011/12/amnesty-international-whitewashes.html
Finally, after 3 years of efforts from international activists (ISM, Free Gaza Movement, CPSGaza), Amnesty International decided to pay some attention on the issue of Gaza fishermen. In the episode 7 of Amnesty TV, by Amnesty UK, there is a 3:51 part concering Gaza fishermen. (Go to 1:47).
http://tv.amnesty.org.uk/episodes/episode-seven/the_facts/
But all we see on this video is an Israeli gunboat aproaching and just... calling 2 fishermen in a small boat, accompanied by foreign hebrew speaking journalists, to go closer to the beach.
Is it just this what is really happening to the Gaza fishermen?
Where are the images of Gaza fishermen killed by the Israeli Navy?
 |
| Mohammed Nadi Saleh al-'Attar (picture from In Gaza blog) |
Where do we hear the voice of the families of killed fishermen?
Where do we see in Amnesty´s video, the injured fishermen?
Where do we see in Amnesty's video the Gaza fishermen mutilated by Israeli gunfire?
Where do we see in Amnesty's video the fishing boats with dozens of bullet holes?
Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the fishing boats incinerated after Israeli shelling?
Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the fishing boats rammed by Israeli gunboats?
Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the Israeli gunboats shooting at the nets of the fishing boats? And bullets found inside the fishing boat...
Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the Israli gunboats throwing explosives near the fishing boats and spraying the fishermen and the catch of fishes with unknown biological or chemical liquid?
Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the Israeli gunboats firing shells, machinegun fire, tracer bullets and water from watercannon?
Where do we see in Amnesty's video, international activists injured by shattered glass during watercannon attacks?
Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the international accompaniment boat Oliva, attacked with watercannon by Israeli gunboats?
Where do we see in Amnesty's video, the Gaza fishermen who have been abducted, detained and abused, in order to become spies?
If small organizations with few activists like ISM, Free Gaza Movement or CPSGaza and a few Palestinian or foreign journalists, have managed to show the real life of Gaza fishermen, why can't the biggest human rights organization in the world, with 3 million members and a huge budget, do the same? And why Amnesty International didn't use some of this footage for the report on Gaza fishermen?
After seeing all these images, you can understand why Amnesty's report (of Israeli Navy just... shouting to the Palestinian fishermen), can be considered rather a "whitewash" of Israeli Navy's crimes, than a decent human rights report...
kaxlan2009
(The opinions expressed in this post are of kaxlan2009, the administrator of Fishing Under Fire, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other international activists who have worked or still working with Gaza fishermen)
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