Gaza activist sets herself alight

A woman at a roadblock in southern Israel set herself on fire and was taken to a hospital in a serious condition, police said.

The woman is believed to be a right-wing activist protesting Israel’s Gaza Strip withdrawal, said police spokeswoman Sharon Brown.

The incident occurred near the southern Israeli town of Netivot.

The woman suffered life-threatening burns on 70% of her body, police and hospital officials said.

The 54-year-old woman, whose name was not revealed, was taken to a hospital in southern Israel in serious condition, police said.

The woman had been carrying an anti-Gaza pullout sign, said police spokeswoman Liat Nidam.

The woman set herself ablaze after getting a glass of water from a policeman, Nidam said. Police ran toward her and doused the flames with their shirts and water.

Paramedic Osnat Asulil said he asked the woman why she did it, and she responded that it was an act of protest. He said there was a strong smell of petrol around her.

Hundreds of thousands of right-wing Israelis have been protesting Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s so-called “disengagement” plan, evacuating the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements.

Nidam said the woman who burned herself carried a sign reading: “Impose a closure on the media, destroy the disengagement, put Sharon before a military court.”