Friday, April 26, 2002

Teens Relay Bethlehem Church Scene
Abu Surour, a lively, talkative kid, was among nine youths to emerge from the church on Thursday. On April 2, the day the standoff began, he was heading to Bethlehem's market to meet friends when Israeli troops began battling Palestinian gunmen, forcing him to seek cover.

He followed others through the 5-foot-high doorway into the church, one of the holiest sites in Christendom. The Palestinians, almost all of them Muslims, believed the church was the safest place from Israeli fire -- even more secure than the mosque at the other end of Manger Square.

Israel says it is only interested in the gunmen, and the others inside are free to come out at any time. And while some Palestinians have trickled out, most have stayed.
Most priests and monks, totaling about 40, have said they want to stay to protect the church. Several nuns -- the only women in the church -- have also remained. One is a nurse who has patched up Palestinians wounded by the Israelis.

Four Palestinian policemen emerged Friday. However, more than 100 policemen are still inside, along with about 50 civilians.…

After the nine youths emerged Thursday -- the largest single group to come out so far -- the Israelis interrogated them about the gunmen.

``We told them we don't know all the people inside,'' said Mohammed Najar, 16. ``The situation is extremely difficult. There isn't food, there isn't medicine, and there isn't enough water.''

Conditions were rough from the very first night.

As the group looked for a place to sleep in the cold, cavernous church, they opted for the warmest spot they could find -- the small cave believed to be the site of Jesus' birth, located down a series of steps from the basilica.

Up to 30 people, most of them youths, gathered there the first few nights, later moving upstairs to the basilica, where they conducted Muslim prayers, Abu Surour said.

In the long days filled with boredom and punctuated with occasional bursts of gunfire, the darkest moments came when two Palestinian policemen were shot and killed.

In the first instance, a policeman had helped extinguish a fire in part of the compound that was caused by Israeli stun grenades and was shot in the head as he was crossing a yard to return to the basilica, Abu Surour said.

The second policeman to die was shot by an Israeli sniper after he ran an electrical cord into the adjacent Casanova Hotel, the teen-ager said.

The policeman staggered back to the basilica, shouting, ``I don't want to die.'' But he collapsed minutes later.

The Palestinians built makeshift wooden coffins for the two bodies and placed them in St. Catherine's Church in another part of the compound. The decaying corpses remained there for more than 10 days until Abu Surour and eight other youths carried them out Thursday.

The standoff has brought criticism of both sides. The gunmen have been denounced for charging into the holy site, firing their automatic weapons wildly at the pursuing Israeli troops as they entered.…

The youths were so hungry on Wednesday, the day before they came out, that they ventured into a church garden and began snapping up green beans. But they quickly came under Israeli fire, driving them back inside.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Bethlehem-Church-Standoff.html

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