Priest Says Israelis Destroy Bethlehem Church Door

[A.R.]

Priest Says Israelis Destroy Bethlehem Church Door

 

Thu Apr 4, 7:11 AM ET

 

ROME (Reuters) - Israeli troops have destroyed a door into Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and have battled with Palestinians holed up in the building, one of the priests trapped in the complex said on Thursday.

 

"The situation is very serious. The Jews have knocked down the door of the nativity church where all the Palestinians were," Father Ibrahim Faltas, custodian of the Bethlehem church, said in a telephone interview with RAI television news."

 

Go to URL for entire article:

 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor..._dc_1&printer=1

 

************************************

 

Quotes and URL

 

"The situation at the Church of Nativity as well as three other churches in Bethlehem is very serious, dangerous and frightening," Father Ibrahim Faltas, a priest inside the Church of the Nativity, told United Press International in a telephone interview.

 

He said Israeli troops continued to encircle the church, where more than 150 people, including monks, nuns, men, women and children were taking shelter. He also said Israeli troops were besieging three other churches in Bethlehem -- Santa Maria, the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Silivian Church. More than 200 people were taking shelter there.

 

"The Israeli soldiers ... are shooting at the churches and the mosques," he said."

 

*****************************************

 

Israel has encircled the Church of the Nativity since Tuesday and has reported gunfire from inside, where they claim Palestinian gunmen are hiding. But Faltas said there are only civilians inside.

 

"The people ... are not armed," he said, adding their food and water supply had run out.

 

Some inside were wounded and needed "urgent medical aid."

 

Bethlehem Gov. Mohamed al Madani told UPI from inside the church that 12 people inside were hurt and two had just died. He said the Israeli army refused to allow ambulances inside to take the wounded to hospitals.

 

Go to URL for entire article:

 

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=020420...02-074429-4344r