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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009.
A Hamas fighter killed in Gaza and settler attacks increase in the West Bank, these stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The News Cast
Al Qassam Brigades the armed wing of Hamas announced that one of its fighters has been killed Wednesday morning while carrying doing a mission in the central Gaza Strip. The group identified the fighter as Yasser Radi, 37 year old and gave no further details.
Earlier in the day, Israeli troops positioned at the northern border line of the Gaza Strip opened fire at a Palestinian ma and wounded him near Beit Lahia. Troops then entered the area and kidnapped him preventing the ambulance to evacuate him, witnesses reported. The witnesses added that the man, who was not identified, was collecting metal piece to be resold for recycling.
In other news during an anti settlement construction freeze rally, scores of Israeli settlers hurled, on Wednesday, stones at Palestinian cars in northern West Bank.
The rally lunched from the Alon Moreh illegal settlement near the Nablus city and headed towards a military checkpoint known to Palestinians as Huwwara. Settlers closed the military checkpoint and hurled stones at passing by Palestinian cars.
No injuries were reported but some cares sustained damage as their glass shattered at the road, witnesses reported.
Leading the settlers protest were the head of Alon Moreh settlement Avi Naim in addition to the chief Rabbi of the settlement, Elyakim Levanon. Naim was arrested by the Israeli police along with other settlers for closing the military checkpoint.
The 10-month settlement freeze declared by the Israeli government last week sparked wide criticism from the right wing in Israel who described the freeze decision as anti-Zionist.
This week the Israeli Civil Administration inspectors toured West Bank settlements and handed the freeze orders to settlers. This was met with protest and in some cases attacks on the Israeli police and nearby Palestinian villagers and their propriety.
Also in the West Bank, Israeli police demolished the tent of Al-Ghawi family in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem for the fifth time. The family setup the tent to live in after Israeli settlers have forcibly taken their home.
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 Ghassan Bannoura.
