Fish Fresh

Friday, the weekend, and my friend and I were invited to visit a colleague who lives in Khan Younis refugee camp for lunch. Needless to say, the food was incredible. Following an aprés-lunch shisha, we took a drive around the neighbourhood.

Our colleague's husband, Mohammed, pointed out the rooftops just across the road where Israeli soldiers had stationed themselves during the Second Intifada. We drove along the main roads, peering down the narrow side streets which distinguish the refugee camps.

We passed by the UNRWA re-housing project, parts of which are still being built. Each section is known by the donor country - the Japanese quarter, the Malaysian quarter, the Norwegian quarter, the US quarter . . .

The eternal irony for me is that the US invests money in such projects, which may well be subject to attack in the future, while continuing to support Israel's military machine to the tune of $3.1bn per year. Some of thoe people who have been rehoused had been waiting since 2003 for their new homes. Others are still waiting.

Mohammed also brought us to visit a saltwater fish farm, with the words 'Fish Fresh' in large lettering on the outside. Inside, there are more than twenty pools of saltwater, aerated by watermills, and containing seabream at various stages of development.

Another irony. The Mediterranean Sea is less than 20 feet away but Israel's illegal restrictions on Palestinian fishing waters mean that fishermen are forced to find new ways to make a living.