Road 4 was blocked this morning (Wednesday) for traffic from the Ashdod Interchange to the north by the Fishermen's Association, as part of a protest against fishing bans in Israel.
The demonstrators put boats on the road attached to trailers and deployed fishing nets.
As you may recall, the fishermen blocked the Egged junction in Haifa about a week ago.
According to them, the ban has led to the livelihoods of more than 1,000 fishing families being transferred to Gaza - and they intend to tighten roadblocks from week to week until Agriculture Minister Oded Forer "gives us a solution".
According to the union, "If we do not have a job to go to, neither will you. The fishermen are not interested in anyone. We have closed the industry, deprived us of our sole source of livelihood and with it the way to pay bills, living and education for our children. Or degree, denying the possibility of earning a living from fishing has sentenced us to death. "
Roadblocks blocked by protesters, this morning, Photo: Israel Fishermen's Association
According to the union, the fisheries reform was approved by former Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, who accepted the position of the Society for the Protection of Nature and others and signed a number of bans that eliminated the fishing industry, including a ban on coastal fishing during the breeding season and a ban on fishing. In a ring network a short distance from 500 meters from the shore.
Nur and Fatma, whose husbands are fishermen, said they did not know how their spouses could make a living.
"They will not be able to go tomorrow morning and work on computers or accounting, they are fishermen. The struggle is for 5,000 families of fishermen. They did not think of us. We can be thrown into the sea, because who are the fishermen interested in," they said.
Demonstrator talking to police during roadblocks this morning, Photo: Israel Fishermen's Association
According to Gil Sassover, chairman of the Israel Fishermen's Association, the fishermen's families did not receive compensation, contrary to the professional position of the fisheries department.
"There is no country in the world where traditional fishing is stopped, only with us it is eliminated," he said.
Sassover added that "we are being killed and not even bothered to be told if there will be compensation, when, how much and who will get it. We fail to understand this bad policy. It is an abuse that did not start today, but an ongoing policy of eliminating fishing in Israel, and we will not agree. We will fight to the end! "
He added that "the public in Israel deserves fresh fish from our sea, as in any other sea-dwelling country. Fishing is a respectable industry all over the world, only here we have sacrificed it and everyone knows why."
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