Deport Church of Nativity fighters, Greek Orthodox bishop suggests
By Haim Shapiro
JERUSALEM (April 10) - To solve the impasse over the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, a senior Christian leader has suggested Israel deport - not detain or try - the Palestinian gunmen taking refuge in the historic church.
Bishop Aristorchus, the representative of the Greek Orthodox Church, submitted the proposal at a meeting of Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Roman Catholic leaders with Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior and Deputy Defense Minister Dalia Rabin Pelesoff. He suggested the fighters give up their weapons and Israel not imprison them or put them on trial, but allow them to leave the country instead.
A Christian source said yesterday that Armenian clergy and civilians took refuge in the monasteries surrounding the Church of the Nativity, which marks the birthplace of Jesus, when the fighting broke out. The door connecting the church with the Armenian monastery is closed.
There are also our monks in the Greek Orthodox monastery adjoining the basilica, but the Palestinian fighters have occupied some of the rooms there.
There are about 35 Franciscan monks in the their monastery, which adjoins St. Catherine's Roman Catholic Parish Church, adjacent to the basilica. Apparently some of the Palestinian fighters are living in this monastery as well, and have received humanitarian aid from the monks.
Christian leaders have said the sanctity of the ancient church must be respected by both Israelis and Palestinians, that there must be a peaceful and bloodless solution to the problem, and that the Christians non-combatants are unwilling to abandon the church.
06 Apr 2002 18:11
Greek Orthodox monks escape Bethlehem church siege --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BETHLEHEM, West Bank, April 6 (Reuters) - The Israeli army said on Saturday it had helped three Greek Orthodox clergymen and two Palestinian women slip out of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, where dozens of Palestinian gunmen have been holed up.
Reuters Television filmed the five emerging from an Israeli armoured personnel carrier that brought them from Bethlehem where Israeli tanks and troops have been deployed. Four other clerics secretly fled on Friday from the church.
Israeli army spokesman Olivier Rafowicz said the army was negotiating with the gunmen to surrender and free the "hostages" he said they had taken among clergymen and civilians -- most of them apparently church workers -- confined to the church since the standoff began on Tuesday.
"We know there are between 150 and 200 armed men inside the church. We are trying hard to find a peaceful solution," he said. (snipping here)
The Roman Catholic, Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches share custody of the church.(snip here)