Several groups of European parliamentarians were banned last week from passing through Israel's Erez border crossing into Gaza to assess the situation on the ground and to hold meetings with Hamas leaders.

Three international human rights activists were also forcibly arrested, by the Israeli navy, from Palestinian fishing vessels in Gaza's waters.

AP head, and Israeli Foreign Press Association chairman, Steven Gutkin said journalists had called him complaining of being refused entry since last week.

Since then, he said, the association had appealed to the government to allow access, with no success.

"We consider it a serious problem for freedom of the press. We think that journalists have to be placed in a special category. A blanket ban on people going into Gaza should not apply to journalists," Gutkin added.

"We are hoping that this is not the start of a policy of banning journalists from Gaza. We would like to point out that when times are tough, and when things heat up, it is important for journalists to be able to enter."

A BBC media crew was also refused entry last week.

Conny Mus, a reporter from the Dutch television station RTL was told telephonically by Israeli military officials that he and his crew would be able to enter Gaza.

However, upon arrival they were kept waiting for five hours and then eventually informed they would not be able to cross over.

"They put our names on a list and we waited for five hours at the border," said Mus. Only then was their request denied.

Although journalists have been barred from entering Gaza in the past, this has normally been for limited periods only, not the current lengthy and complete blackout.

The Israeli foreign ministry said no order had been issued to prevent journalists from going to Gaza.

"There is no decision not to allow journalists in," said Peter Lerner, the spokesman for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.

Israel closed all of Gaza's borders on Nov. 4. This followed a cross-border military raid into the Gaza strip by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to allegedly destroy a tunnel which the IDF said was meant to smuggle Israeli soldiers.

However, hundreds of underground tunnels connecting Egypt's Sinai Peninsula with the Gaza strip have been in place for over a year.

These are used to smuggle in everyday necessities which Gazans rely on for their survival due to Israel's hermetic closure of the territory. Weapons are also smuggled in.

Following Israel's military incursion into Gaza, Palestinian resistance organizations launched a salvo of rockets into Israel.

In the ensuing Israeli attacks and Palestinian counter-attacks 20 Palestinians were killed while two Israelis were lightly injured.

Israel has also stopped most international aid from entering Gaza causing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with the U.N. Relief and Welfare Agency (UNRWA)'s warehouses running out of food.

Half of Gaza's population of 1.5 million is dependent on emergency rations from UNRWA for survival.

Gaza's main power plant was also forced to close on Thursday after Israel refused to allow any fuel in. Seventy percent of Gazans experienced electricity blackouts.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, alarmed at the severest restrictions imposed on aid getting into Gaza in its history, called incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and asked him to reverse the restrictions.

Meanwhile, three human rights activists from Italy, Britain and the United States were arrested by the Israeli navy as they accompanied Gazan fishermen off Gaza's coast. They were nowhere near Israel's territorial waters.

Under the Oslo Accords of 1994 Gazan fishermen were permitted to go 20 kilometers out to sea to fish. Forty thousand Gazan fishermen and their dependents rely on these fisherman being able to earn a livelihood from Gaza's coast.

Following Hamas' takeover of the territory in June of last year Israel limited this distance to six kilometers and has enforced it rigorously.

Those who risk going further out are regularly shot at and arrested with a number being killed in the past. Their boats are often destroyed and many have been forced out of business.

The desperate fishermen have been forced to play a game of Russian Roulette in an attempt to earn a livelihood as many of the larger shoals of fish on which they are dependent are found beyond the six kilometer limit.

The activists had accompanied the fishermen on several fishing expeditions in a bid to provide some international protection.

Hitherto, the Israeli navy shot high pressure water cannons at the fishing boats causing damage and several injuries.

Machine gun fire was also sprayed around the boats in an attempt to intimidate them.

But following three successful voyages by siege-breaking vessels from Cyprus, defying the Israeli navy and carrying European parliamentarians, journalists and human rights activists, the Israelis decided to crack down.

After three Israeli naval vessels surrounded the three fishing boats on Tuesday, 15 Palestinian fishermen were forced to strip naked and swim in the icy winter waters toward the naval vessels and were then taken in for interrogation.

The internationals were taken to Ben-Gurion airport where they are expected to be deported.

Bron

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Associated Press / Sott.net:

Global media executives protest Gaza press ban