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An Israeli surviellance balloon over the Nativity church |
BETHLEHEM,
West Bank, April 11 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Defying the
whole world and provoking anger among Christians worldwide, the
Israeli army stepped up its besiege on the Church of the Nativity for
the ninth day running.
Israel
rolled out its cutting edge surveillance equipment Thursday as it
sought to break the will of some 200 Palestinian resistance activists,
trapped in the Church of Nativity.
A
balloon, equipped with a camera, floated Thursday afternoon above the
house of worship that marks the spot where Christians believe Jesus
Christ was born, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
During
the night, a drone, with surveillance devices, whizzes around the
church compound, making the chirping sound of an insect.
A
green light bathed the site's basilica and convents, while search
lights swept the sky.
It
is an eerie juxtaposition - the sophisticated weapons of modern war
gracing one of the holiest sites in Christianity.
There
are 30 Franciscan friars and some civilians in the church complex,
besieged since April 2.
"The
night had been calm and this is from the nourishment that God gives
us," said Father Maroun Lahham, rector of the Latin Seminary in
nearby Beit Jala, who spoke with colleagues in the church.
Even
so, shots and explosions rocked the church's neighborhood to frighten
the holed-up resistance activists, locals said. Megaphones blared
calls for the Palestinians to surrender.
Extending
their violation of all Holy places, the Israeli forces Thursday
afternoon, razed the side of the Omar mosque, not far from the Church
of Nativity, and set it on fire.
Israeli
snipers were perched on buildings at the edge of Manger Square, which
stands in front of the church.
Palestinians
inside the church had been set to meet Israeli army representatives at
midnight to discuss humanitarian concerns. They did not gather finally
because they had not received permission from Yasser Arafat, an
Israeli army spokesman claimed.
Arafat
has been holed up in his destroyed Ramallah compound, unable to
contact any one after the Israelis destroyed electricity,
communications and other essentials.
Despite
the late night collapse, there are still negotiations, but they do not
concern a final solution, "which would be the surrender of the
besieged or the departure of the Israeli troops," said Father
Lahham.
Rather,
he said the two sides are concerned with "access to the basilica
for medicine and food."
Earlier,
the Franciscan spokesman in the Holy Land, Father David Jaeger,
revealed plans to foresee an international or neutral contingent
accompanying the besieged of the Nativity Church from the sanctuary
entrance to the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip.
However,
in a letter to Pope John Paul II on Wednesday, Israeli President Moshe
Katsav rejected appeals to end the army's week-long encirclement of
the church.
On
Wednesday, a monk inside the besieged Church was shot in the back and
badly wounded as more blood was shed at the scene of Christ's birth,
according to British daily newspaper, The Independent.
The
shooting intensified anger among Christian leaders over the violence
at the ancient basilica. However, Israel is ignoring a blizzard of
appeals from around the world to withdraw.
The
wounded man, Armin Sinanian, 22, an Armenian Orthodox cleric,
underwent surgery at a hospital in west Jerusalem. He was hit by a
bullet that went through the window of his room. A hospital spokesman
described his condition as serious.
A
Palestinian policeman in the church said the monk was shot by Israeli
troops; the Israeli army said it would investigate. An Israeli
spokesman said: "When bullets are flying, anything can
happen."
