HeXp£Øi±
Well-Known Member
The highest-ranking
Roman Catholic
clergyman in the Holy
Land has said there can
only be peace between
Israelis and Palestinians
when Israel lifts its
occupation of the
territories.
Speaking at Midnight
Mass at the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem,
Latin Patriarch Michel
Sabbah called on Israel to
"alter its vision".
The BBC's
James
Reynolds
reports that
although the church was
full, the non-religious
trappings of the festive
season were largely
absent outside in the
town, the traditional
birthplace of Jesus Christ.
Israeli troops have
withdrawn from the
town's religious sites but
Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat was banned from
attending the mass and
was represented instead
by an empty chair.
"It is not impossible for
the faithful to feel love for
all our brothers, whether
they be Muslims,
Christian, Jews or Druze,"
the patriarch, himself a
Palestinian, said.
Then, addressing Israel
itself, he added:
"Blood has been flowing
in your cities and streets
but the key to solving this
conflict is in your hands.
"By your actions so far,
you have crushed the
Palestinian people but you
still have not achieved
peace."
The Patriarch also
addressed Mr Arafat's
empty seat, which was
draped with his distinctive
chequered Arab
headdress, wishing him
"the wisdom and the
power under this siege to
continue your mission
toward peace and
justice".
'Christmas under fire'
Our correspondent says
that Israeli forces, who
have occupied the town
for much of the year,
agreed to stay away from
Bethlehem's centre for
two days.
But, he
adds, they
will be back
and the
town will be
under
curfew once
more.
This year Manger Square
is lit up by headlights
rather than a twinkling
Christmas tree, as cars
and taxis are using it as a
parking spot.
The town's Palestinian
mayor, Hanna Nasser,
said the fairy lights had
been switched off in
protest at the Israeli
occupation.
Gone, too, are the
thousands of pilgrims who
packed the town for
Christmas Eve
celebrations before the
second Palestinian
intifada, or uprising,
began in September
2000.
Click here to see a
plan
of the Church of the
Nativity
Israel has banned Mr
Arafat from attending
Christmas services in the
town for the second
consecutive year,
accusing him of failing to
prevent attacks against
Israelis. The
veteran
Palestinian
sent
Christmas
greetings
from his
headquarters
in the West
Bank city
of
Ramallah.
The Israeli
Government said it
would organise buses
to take Christians
from the West Bank,
the Gaza Strip and
Israel to Christmas
services.
"Anyone who wants
to go to Bethlehem
will have a seat,"
said government
spokesman Ranaan
Gissin.
"One cannot ignore
that this is not an
ordinary Christmas,
this is Christmas
under fire," he
added.
The army lifted the
curfew in Bethlehem
on Sunday and said
it would not
re-impose it unless
there was an alert.
Gaza skirmishes
In the Gaza Strip,
meanwhile, a
teenage Palestinian
boy was killed and
three others were
wounded when
Israeli tanks fired a
shell into a group
between the Karni
and Erez crossings
with Israel.
The Israeli army said
soldiers saw
members of the
group digging near
an army post, and
fired into them on
the suspicion that
they were planting
explosives.
Earlier, the army said
it had blown up a
house after
discovering a tunnel
used for smuggling
weapons into Gaza
from Egypt.
It said it had faced
Palestinian gunfire as
it demolished several
other houses along
the Egypt-Gaza
border.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2604761.stm