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If I'd seen blankets folded, mattresses stacked, and all the trash and food and pots and pans gathered into one place, I might not care so much about the sanitary situation. I might be inclined to cut them some slack.

Like your kids clean their room everyday? Right? LOL.

It should be obvious to you and everyone else that these people were determined to leave with a message of malice, and they did. And I notice you've failed to address the items that were stolen.

It should be obvious to you that you want to find a message of malice whether one is present or not. I expect if we knew the truth it would be indifference, not malice. After all when they were leaving the church they did seem appreciative and friendly towards the priests.

As for the stolen items, I have no way of knowing what if anything was taken. The items certainly didnt go out when the 39 left the other morning as they all went thru x-ray machines. I havent seen or heard anything in the regular news media about stolen items, just here, so what does that tell you media bias or FR paranoia?

That's the second time on this thread that you've compared the Palestinians to children, you know, instead of grown men with guns. You ought to look at what you write from time to time, and see if you aren't trying to tell yourself something.

They had days to prepare for their departure. The state in which they left the church can be considered nothing less than an expression of contempt for the people who sheltered them and shared their food with them and put up with their crap--literally--for 39 days, under the point of a gun. Who did they think was going to have to clean up the mess? The people who were fit for that and little else, in the minds of the occupiers. The Christians within the church.

And as for the stolen items, there were people coming and going from that church every day, not the least of whom was the mayor of Bethlehem (who with the governor and others was behind much of the pretense and hyperbole in circulation during the standoff, so there's no question which side he supports), and there were also local people passing supplies over walls and through windows to their friends and family inside. The missing artifiacts did not go through the metal detectors. They must have been taken out of the church beforehand by other means. Unless you think the Armenians and Franciscans were lying when they said they witnessed the thefts?

After all when they were leaving the church they did seem appreciative and friendly towards the priests.

I'm sure the priests have fond memories of their "visit" as they scrub down the walls and altars and pick up all the trash. Hope they have lots of Lysol.