Standoff Sullies Bethlehem Church
Fri May 10, 7:51 PM ET
By GREG MYRE, Associated Press Writer
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) - Israel pulled its troops and armor out of Bethlehem Friday, ending the 39-day siege of the Church of the Nativity after 13 Palestinian militants were flown into exile. The church reeked of urine, and food crumbs were strewn across an altar yet it emerged with little permanent damage.
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Thirteen militiamen who had been holed up inside were flown into European exile, and 26 were released into the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) where they were given a raucous welcome. Seventy-three Palestinian policemen and civilians were set free.
The end of the siege at the traditional site of Jesus' birthplace paved the way for an Israeli troop pullback from Bethlehem Friday evening, effectively ending the military offensive Israel launched March 29 against Palestinian militias in the West Bank.
But Israeli forces were massed on the border with the Gaza Strip, apparently preparing for a military strike in retaliation for a Hamas suicide bombing this week that killed 15 Israelis. The leadership of the Islamic militant group is based in Gaza.
President Bush (news - web sites) said the end of the Bethlehem siege was a welcome sign and "should advance the prospects for resuming a political peace process."
The day's events in Bethlehem began shortly before 7 a.m., when the first of the gunmen walked through the low-slung Gate of Humility, the main door of the 4th-century basilica. The others followed, emerging into the hazy sunlight of Manger Square. Some waved or flashed victory signs, and one dropped to the ground, kneeling in Muslim prayer. Two men were carried out on stretchers.
By midmorning, all Palestinians had left the church, but the standoff was not over. Ten foreigners, who had slipped into the church May 2 in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians, refused to come out — demanding a lawyer and insisting on holding a news conference.
Israeli riot police later entered the compound and removed them by force, with the approval of exasperated priests. The 10, including four Americans, were detained ahead of deportation.
Journalists touring the basilica, one of Christianity's holiest shrines, saw two wooden altars in the Armenian section and a marble baptismal covered with leftover food and dirty dishes.
The stone floor was strewn with dirty blankets and mattresses, lighters, sunglasses, a toothpaste tube, a bottle of aftershave, plastic bags, cigarette butts, a comb and large cooking pots. A stove and gas canisters for cooking stood to one side of the central aisle.
Those inside the church had complained the Israelis occasionally cut the water supply and that water was scarce during the siege. There were no toilets inside the basilica and to get to facilities elsewhere required crossing an open courtyard, with the risk of Israeli sniper-fire.
The panes of several arched windows near the ceiling were broken, but there appeared to be no other damage. A 12th-century mosaic near the ceiling, which one priest had said was hit by bullets, appeared in good condition. A Franciscan study hall next to the church was gutted by fire — Israel and the Palestinians accused each other of sparking the flames — and a statue of the Virgin Mary was hit by a bullet.
The small birth grotto, a few steps below the basilica, was in pristine condition. Priests said some gunmen and foreigners had initially slept there because it was the warmest spot, but agreed to leave so clergy could conduct daily services there.
One priest complained the foreigners had desecrated the church by smoking and drinking alcohol.
A Bethlehem Christian, 18-year-old Sandy Shaheen, was in tears as she looked at the interior of the basilica. "This is the place where Jesus was born. I can't believe this is the house of God — just look at it," said Shaheen, who worships at the Church of the Nativity every Sunday.
Father Nicholas, a Franciscan priest from Mexico, denied Israeli claims the several dozen nuns and priests who stayed in the compound during the standoff were hostages. "We were there by choice," Nicholas said. Priests and nuns have said they remained to protect the site.
Father Nicholas said the gunmen kept their weapons with them at all times, and in the first days took candelabras, icons, candles and "anything that looked like gold." Some of the valuables were later returned, he said.
Reporters saw a cupboard filled with food — more than 20 bags of lentils and rice, cans of beans and cooking oil. For extended periods during the siege, the gunmen had said food was running low and those inside subsisted on one meal a day. Some said they had resorted to making soup from lemon leaves growing in the courtyard. It was not clear whether those accounts were misleading, or whether Israel sent in more food in the last days.
Israeli police and soldiers swept the church and said they found 40 explosive devices, several booby-trapped. However, Israeli officials offered little detail.
In their joy over regaining control of the shrine, Greek and Franciscan priests conducted a service and bells pealed for several minutes.
Around sundown, Israeli troops and armored vehicles began leaving Manger Square, and the troop pullback was completed a few hours later.
Bethlehem residents had been subjected to around-the-clock curfews during the 39-day occupation of the city. Hundreds of Palestinians thronged the square after the departure of the Israeli troops, eager to catch up on each other's lives.
The 13 Palestinian deportees were flown to Cyprus, a first stopover to exile in various European countries, and 12 were whisked by Cypriot riot police to the Flamingo Hotel in Larnaca. One had been wounded and was taken to a hospital.
Cypriot Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides said the Palestinians will stay under police guard until their countries of exile are chosen at a meeting of European Union (news - web sites) foreign ministers next week.
The 26 militiamen were given a heroes' welcome in Gaza City, firing assault rifles in the air to acknowledge cheers from the crowds. Emerging from their bus, they kissed the ground and knelt in prayer. "They are heroes. I hope that together, we can celebrate our victory," said Ibrahim Hassouna, who turned out to greet the militiamen.
Friday's deal ended a week of negotiations, with intense involvement by the United States, the Vatican (news - web sites) and the EU.
The standoff began April 2 when more than 200 Palestinians, including wanted militants, policemen and civilians, ran into the church ahead of Israeli troops.
Among the 13 deportees were nine members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militia linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites)'s Fatah (news - web sites) movement, and three members of the Islamic militant Hamas. The 13th is Abdullah Daoud, the Palestinian intelligence chief in Bethlehem. Israel accuses six of the 13 of involvement in attacks on Israelis and says the other seven are also suspected militants, though it has released no details on the allegations against them.
Arafat came under scathing criticism from Fatah and Hamas for approving the deportations.
Arafat's senior adviser, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, defended the Palestinian leader, saying he had made the best possible deal. "President Arafat personally stressed that no Palestinian was to be turned over to the Israeli government ... and this is what happened," Abu Rdeneh said.
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