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Nativity Church Tragedy Unresolved
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| Palestinian negotiators talk near a Nativity Church door |
BETHLEHEM, West Bank, April 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Two rounds of talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators Tuesday failed to yield a breakthrough to end the three-week standoff at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.
The two sides agreed to meet again Wednesday at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) to resolve the tense confrontation between the Israeli occupation army and Palestinian resistance activists, as well as scores of civilians, holed up in the church, chief Palestinian negotiator Salah al-Taamari said, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"The Israelis insist on exiling (the Palestinian activists) and we refuse to accept this demand," the negotiator told AFP after the second meeting of the day that lasted nearly three hours.
"We still have to bridge the gap," he said, adding that the Israeli side failed so far to present a list of suspected activist leaders, holed up in the church and whom it would like to put on trial.
However, Taamari added: "We have not reached a dead end yet."
He said the Palestinians agreed to release four civilians from the church for medical treatment, and requested the Israelis supply food and water for the occupants of the church - a request the Israel quickly rejected.
The impasse at the second round of talks followed an optimistic assessment by the Palestinians at the first, morning session, in which the Palestinians proposed to send the alleged suspects to the Gaza Strip for trial.
Bethlehem mayor Hanna Nasser said he was "optimistic" ahead of the second round because the "Israelis didn't reject the idea of sending the Palestinians to Gaza."
But it appears that Israel, after consultations, turned down the Gaza proposal during the evening session.
Israel initially offered up to 230 Palestinians caught inside the church the choice of facing trial in Israel or voluntarily going into exile for life. The Palestinians rejected that offer before the first round of talks began.
Earlier Tuesday, three Armenian priests emerged from the besieged church compound after raising a sign in English reading "please help," the Israeli military said.
On Monday evening, gunfire broke out near the compound and white smoke rose close to Manger Square, possibly from smoke grenades.
The situation, inside and around Jesus Christ’s birthplace, remains very tense with periodic exchanges of gunfire - one of which started a small fire within the church compound on Monday night, reported BBC’s online news service.
Conditions inside are harsh with poor hygiene and limited food and water.
In another Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip, the Israelis, citing security reasons, imposed new travel restrictions and put curbs on fishermen.
Palestinian officials say that all vehicles using one of the main roads in Gaza must now have no less than three occupants and that fishermen must not operate more than three miles from the coast.
Palestinian sources also said that Israeli tanks, jeeps and a bulldozer moved into the Gaza village of Wadi Salka for several hours Tuesday before withdrawing, according to the BBC.
Israel’s latest aggressions added to growing speculation among Palestinians that, with the Israeli military operation in the West Bank being apparently scaled down, Gaza may be the next target.
On Sunday, hard-line Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced the end of the first wave of Operation Defensive Shield, started 29 March after a spate of Palestinian resistance attacks.
However, Palestinians say they will not begin truce talks until Israeli forces have left all Palestinian-run areas in the West Bank.
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