Church of Nativity a mess after 38 - day standoff

Reuters | 5/10/02 | Paul Casciato

[kattracks]

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, May 10 (Reuters) - The stench of urine 
was the first thing that hit visitors who entered the Church of 
the Nativity on Friday at the end of a 38-day standoff between 
Palestinian militants and the Israeli army. 
    But the grotto marking the spot where Christian faithful 
believe Jesus was born was "pristine", said a journalist who 
toured the Bethlehem shrine built in the 4th century. 
    "When you first walked in the door, it stank," said Anne 
Garrels of the U.S. National Public Radio network, one of the 
first reporters who priests allowed into the church after 39  
militants left for exile from the West Bank. 
    She said the church was undamaged but reeked of urine and 
the altars were covered with food scraps. Mattresses were 
scattered across the floor along with flak jackets and helmets 
left behind by the Palestinian gunmen. 
    "The grotto is absolutely untouched, as far as I could see," 
Garrels said. "There was nothing done there." 
  Soon after the militants left, priests from often bickering 
denominations that share the shrine argued over whether to allow 
Israeli army bomb disposal experts in to make sure no explosives 
were left behind. The clergymen decided in favour of a sweep. 
    "We have found 40 explosive devices and five rifles hidden 
there and the IDF is dismantling them now," an army spokeswoman 
said. 
    Earlier, 13 men on Israel's most-wanted list left the church 
and were quickly flown to Cyprus, the first stop in an exile 
abroad which will take them to third countries under a 
European-brokered deal. 
    Twenty-six others considered less serious offenders by 
Israel were expelled from the West Bank and taken by armoured 
bus to Gaza, where they were greeted as heroes by flag-waving 
crowds and will be housed in a smart beachside hotel. 
    Father Nicolas, a Franciscan monk who had been trapped in 
the church, told reporters: "Some of the mosaics in windows have 
been damaged." 
    He said some of the militants had broken into the Armenian 
section of the church compound and stolen a bishop's chain, 
icons, a candelabra and "anything that looked like it was gold". 
    But he said he believed the relics had been returned. 
    As Israeli forces prepared to pull out of Bethlehem, a 
priest at the church told reporters that a group of foreign 
activists that slipped into the shrine during the Israeli siege 
had "misbehaved" by smoking and drinking in the holy site. 
    The foreigners, who were escorted from the church by Israeli 
police, were not immediately available to comment. 
 ((Jerusalem newsroom, +972-25370502, 
jerusalem.newsroom@reuters.com)) 

10 MAY 2002 14:35:44 Church of Nativity a mess after 38-day standoff

© 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

[Dialup Llama]

> priests from often bickering denominations that share the shrine argued over whether to allow Israeli army bomb disposal experts in to make sure no explosives were left behind. The clergymen decided in favour of a sweep.

Good idea guys... And the results are....

"We have found 40 explosive devices and five rifles hidden there and the IDF is dismantling them now," an army spokeswoman said.

Have breakfast, make a bomb. Nothing to do? Raining outside? Make a bomb. What is it with these people? Is bombmaking hardwired in them?

[browardchad]

"We have found 40 explosive devices and five rifles hidden there and the IDF is dismantling them now," an army spokeswoman said.

a priest at the church told reporters that a group of foreign activists that slipped into the shrine during the Israeli siege had "misbehaved" by smoking and drinking in the holy site.

And this is from Reuters – we can only imagine how bad the situation really was.

[hellinahandcart]

The bad news is, the place was trashed.

The good news is that it doesn't seem to be anything that can't be handled by Mr. Clean and the White Tornado.

[Made In The USA]

Of course the place was trashed. That's what animals do.

[Republicus2001]

Are you kidding? They were SMOKING IN THERE??? That's an OUTRAGE!!!

[twigs]

Actually, I think this is amazing. I expected the church to have irreparable damage.

[TopQuark]

Soon after the militants left, priests from often bickering denominations that share the shrine argued over whether to allow Israeli army bomb disposal experts in to make sure no explosives were left behind. The clergymen decided in favour of a sweep.

What is that, a favor they granted to IDF? In whose interest was that sweep:
"We have found 40 explosive devices and five rifles there and the IDF is dismantling them now," an army spokeswoman said.

That is great: it was really magnanimous to allow someone to risk his life so that the Church remains safe.

Observe also that the explosives were hidden, not simply left behind. For what purpose, if not to come back for those explosives? Is that not bearing arms in the Church?

What an outrage, but you will not find it expressed in the press.

[niteowl77]

The bad news is that the 250 large bags of Palestinian-generated garbage that were removed by cleaning crews from the Church of the Nativity have been declared the 24,567th most holy site in all Islam. This means that Bethlehem's new trash pile will officially be rated as more spiritually important than the Florida strip club frequented by certain 9/11 terrorists, but one spot behind the Parisian pissoir used by an apologist of Ayatollah Khomeini in August of 1977. In a related development, Al Jazeera has just reported that Hamas and the PFLP have both declared that they will never allow Israel to retain possession of the Pile In The Street.

[TopQuark]

a group of foreign activists that slipped into the shrine during the Israeli siege had "misbehaved" by smoking and drinking in the holy site. Of course, these people pick causes to make themselves feel good. The same is achieved by smoking an ddrinking.

[mass55th]

"Of course the place was trashed. That's what animals do."

They also urinated all over the floors according to Fox News. Didn't hear about excrement, but since that's what they are, I'm assuming they did that too.

[mass55th]

Actually, I think this is amazing. I expected the church to have irreparable damage.

The sanctity of the place has been violated and that's irreparable.

[Centurion2000]

bump

[twigs]

Yes, that's correct. However, they're gone and the building can be cleaned. Also, I tend to think of people as being violated more than buildings. I don't like that they were there, but I'm glad they're gone. It could have been much worse and that it wasn't I'm grateful.

[TopQuark]

broken into the Armenian section of the church compound and stolen a bishop's chain, icons, a candelabra and "anything that looked like it was gold". This corroborates an earlier report that the invaders carefully avoided the Catolic sections: they counted on the support of the Pope.

In less than a century, someone studying this period of history will be laughing really hard, as well as crying in disbelief. No matter how many times these people lie about some specifics yet straighforwardly announced their plans to dominate the world, no matter how many events and documents confirm that --- the West has united all of its forces to close its eyes and follow the path of self-destruction. The Left, the Church, the academe, the artists, the workers in the unions --- all are united to close their eyes on terror and fascism.

Palestinians should be given an independent state that should immediately become a member of the European Union. This way it will be easier for them all to hug each other.

[watchin]

And all of this was done by muslims who claim the site is as sacred to them as it is to Christians; who claim that muslims and Christians stand together in their resistance to the evil zionists.

When do Christians get to return the signs of reverence and solidarity by pissing on the kaaba, serving lunch on their sacred black stone, and filling the place with garbage?

I heard an interesting question asked of the mayor of Jerusalem today on Fox News (it needs to be directed to a muslim spokesman). The question was, what would happen if a group of, say, Catholics stormed a muslim holy site, like the al aqsa mosque or medina, and behaved like the palestinians in the Church of the Nativity?

But we all know the answer to that, don't we?

[mass55th]

"I don't like that they were there, but I'm glad they're gone."

Yeah, they're gone...for now. The problem is that a terrible precedent has been set. These people broke into a holy shrine, took it over, held hostages and then got off without a hitch. There's nothing to stop them from doing it again.

[xJones]

Actually, I think this is amazing. I expected the church to have irreparable damage.

True. If the IDF had only done what the Palis wanted and stormed the Church, the terrorists could have used their bombs and blown the place apart. But with the IDF not playing their role, the Israelis couldn't be blamed for causing the destruction of a famous Christian church. It must have been a huge PR disappointment for the terrorists.

[No Truce With Kings]

She said the church was undamaged but reeked of urine and the altars were covered with food scraps.

I can understand the urine, almost. After all, you are going to have to go somewhere, and if the thugs holding hostages in the church won't let them leave the building, even if you pick one corner and go there, the building is going to reek of urine.

But food scraps on the altars? There is no excuse for eating on the altar. None. There is even a word for that kind of behavior. Would one of my fellow Orthodox Christian Freepers care to supply it?

Islam -- a religion of peace. Yeah -- ri-i-i-ght.

[watchin]

Is the word you're searching for "desecration"? Sacrilege?

<sarcasm>Only accidental, of course. They don't have such altars in Islam, and didnt' realize.

They should be given the benefit of the doubt, and treated as kindly and tolerantly as the muslims would treat any Christian group who had a potluck in the Dome of the Rock.</sarcasm>