Part I: Denial of Access to Natural Resources Access to the Sea The Gaza Sea Access to Fishing The Gaza Strip is a coastal area bordered entirely on one side by the Mediterranean Sea. Consequently, the sea has long been an essential resource for the local population. The fishing industry, in particular, is a keystone of life and economy in Gaza. Over 35,000 people depend on it for their livelihoods,53 as it supports not only those directly involved in fishing but also those in affiliated industries such as boat building. Fishermen are the wage earners for an estimated 50,000 people in Gaza,54 while significantly more rely on their fish catches as a critical food source and part of the local diet.55 However, Israel has consistently restricted Palestinian fishermen’s access to fishing areas in the Gaza sea, thus significantly contributing to the untenable economic and humanitarian situation in the Strip. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea declares that the sovereign territory of coastal states extends beyond their coastline to up to 12 nautical 53 OCHA oPt, Humanitarian Bulletin occupied Palestinian territory, July 2016, 12, available at: https:// www.ochaopt.org/sites/default/files/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2016_07_08_10_ english.pdf 54 B’Tselem, “Israel Destroying Gaza’s Fishing Sector,”29 January 2017, available at: http://www. btselem.org/gaza_strip/20170129_killing_the_fishing_sector [accessed 18 August 2017] [hereinafter B’Tselem, “Destroying Gaza’s Fishing Sector”]. 55 B’Tselem, “Lift the Restrictions on the Gaza Fishing Range,” 24 March 2013, available at: http://www. btselem.org/gaza_strip/20130324_restrictions_on_fishing_should_be_lifted [accessed 18 August 2017]. 27