Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Israel bombs Gaza's agricultural sector to the brink

Eva Bartlett, The Electronic Intifada, 15 February 2010


(One of many destroyed water wells in Gaza's border regions.)

""If we didn't get the wheat planted today, we would not have had crops this year," says Abu Saleh Abu Taima, eyeing the two Israeli military jeeps parked along the border fence east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Although his land is more than 300 meters away, technically outside of the Israeli-imposed "buffer zone," Abu Taima has reason to be wary.

"They shot at us yesterday. I was here with my wife and nephews."

Like many farmers along Gaza's eastern and northern borders, Abu Taima has been delayed planting by the absence of water and the threat from Israeli soldiers along the border.

With most of Gaza's border region wells, cisterns and water lines destroyed by Israeli forces during last winter's attacks, farmers have been largely left with no option but to wait for heavier rains......"

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