In general, I can say that sometimes we are allowed to reach our
lands and at other times we are shot at, like other farmers, in order
to prevent us from reaching our lands. We are confused and do not
know how to deal with the Occupation since the soldiers behave
irregularly and we do not receive up-to-date guidelines. Sometimes
they even allow some farmers to access their lands while they shoot
at others, tells Faysal Odeh, a farmer from Khuza’a, Khan-Yunis.169
Such
irregularity
in
enforcing the buffer zone
curbs the understanding
of the historical variations
of the buffer zone’s
range.170 Still, the buffer
zone seems to expand
in times of conflict in
Gaza. In 2010, OCHA
reported that Israel
had been expanding
the buffer zone up to
1,000-1,500 meters after
November 2008, when
the “ceasefire” between
the Palestinian Authority
in the Gaza Strip and
Israel collapsed,171 leading
to “Operation Cast Lead”.
Most recently, during
“Operation
Protective
Edge”, Israel declared
a three-kilometer wide
strip along the fence as
“buffer zone”, covering
44% of Gaza’s land (see
map).172
Source: OCHA - Occupied Palestinian Territories, Gaza Emergency
Situation Report (as of 22 July 2014, 1500 Hrs), 1.
During the this wide spread Israeli attack, the number of Palestinian internally
displaced persons reached approximately 500,000, mostly coming from
169 Ibid., 80.
170 OCHA, Between the Fence and a Hardplace, 8.
171 Ibid.
172 OCHA - Occupied Palestinian Territories, Gaza Emergency Situation Report (as of 22 July 2014, 1500
Hrs), 1.
51
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents