Palestine Today 052609

Israeli navy attacks firemen in Gaza and settlers attack civilians in the West Bank. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.

The News Cast

A Palestinian woman sustained moderate wounds on Tuesday afternoon after she was attacked by an Israeli settler in the northern West Bank.

21- year old Hiba abed Al Hak, was going from her city Salfit to Ramallah. She was stopped at the Za'tara military checkpoint near Nablus. While waiting at the checkpoint she was attacked and beaten up by a settler, local sources reported.

Medical sources reported that Al Hak was moved to a hospital for treatment. They said that soldiers at the checkpoint were watching as she was being attacked. Residents reported that for the past two days they have also been attacked by settlers at the same military checkpoint.

Earlier the Israeli military announced that it kidnapped six Palestinians during nightly and dawn invasions in different parts of the West Bank on Tuesday.

The detained Palestinians are from the cities of Ramallah, Hebron and Bethlehem and the Israeli army claims the men are on the "wanted list".

Later on Tuesday a Palestinian prisoner from the northern West Bank city of Jenin was deported to Gaza immediately upon his release from prison, Wa'ad prisoner organization told local media.

Mahmoud Azam finished a 12-year prison sentence on Tuesday. But no real freedom awaits Azam, as Israel isolates him from his home and family, by sending him to Gaza.

Gaza has been under continuous Israeli siege since 2007. According to Israeli human rights organization B'tselem this has effectively turned Gaza into the biggest open-air prison in the world. Palestinians from the West Bank can not enter into Gaza and Palestinians from Gaza can only leave the territory in rare cases.

Also in Gaza, Israeli naval forces kidnapped two Palestinian fishermen off the Rafah shores, in the southern part of the Strip on Tuesday morning. Local sources said that the two men where stopped by navy boats, were kidnapped and taken to unknown locations. Meanwhile the Israeli navy opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats as they were ready to leave the seaport in Rafah on Tuesday at dawn. Damage was reported but no injuries.

Conclusion

Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Kathrine Orwell and Ghassan Bannoura.