BETHLEHEM: On Friday, May 10 at 2:40 pm, Israeli forces stormed the Church of the Nativity and arrested ten internationals, who smuggled food an medical supplies in to priests, monks and Palestinian citizens held inside the church.
Those inside had been reduced to eating grass and leaves until the internationals brought in rice, lentils, salt and other essential foodstuffs. One of the internationals, Mary Kelly - a trained nurse, was able to treat the injured and sick who had been denied access to medical treatment until then.
Yesterday with the pressure mounting on them to leave, the internationals appealed to President Arafat’s office to intervene and President Arafat himself informed the internationals that: as they are Christians inside their church, they are the guests of the church priests. President Arafat told them that the decision to stay or leave is theirs. Regardless of all the calls for the foreign consulates to intervene on their behalf, no help was provided.
Regardless of this declaration by President Arafat, Israeli forces burst into the church, arrested the internationals and moved them out by force. The Internationals inside the Church have refused to be subject to any Israeli legal procedure.
Those inside had been reduced to eating grass and leaves until the internationals brought in rice, lentils, salt and other essential foodstuffs. One of the internationals, Mary Kelly - a trained nurse, was able to treat the injured and sick who had been denied access to medical treatment until then.
Yesterday with the pressure mounting on them to leave, the internationals appealed to President Arafat’s office to intervene and President Arafat himself informed the internationals that: as they are Christians inside their church, they are the guests of the church priests. President Arafat told them that the decision to stay or leave is theirs. Regardless of all the calls for the foreign consulates to intervene on their behalf, no help was provided.
Regardless of this declaration by President Arafat, Israeli forces burst into the church, arrested the internationals and moved them out by force. The Internationals inside the Church have refused to be subject to any Israeli legal procedure.