Posted on 05/10/2002 10:46:34 AM PDT by kattracks
BETHLEHEM, West Bank, May 10, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Ten foreign activists who spent a week with armed Palestinians holed up inside the Church of the Nativity claimed they were pushed and shoved by clergy who locked them in a room just before Israeli police removed them from the sanctuary on Friday.
But priests said they didn't know anything about the claims, and one accused the activists of desecrating the holy site by smoking and drinking alcohol.
Members of the International Solidarity Movement - dedicated to bringing international attention to the plight of the Palestinians - had refused to leave the church early Friday, delaying an end to a tense 39-day standoff and an Israeli troop withdrawal from a city that had been under curfew for more than five weeks.
But after several hours, Israeli police in riot gear when inside and forced them out. All 10 activists, including four American, were being questioned by police and will be deported, according to police spokesman Rafi Yaffe. U.S. Embassy officials said the Americans detained Friday were receiving consular services as were four other American activists arrested in Bethlehem last week.
The activists had slipped into the church on May 2 in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians and to deliver food. Once inside, they reported that people were suffering from hunger. But reporters who entered the church Friday found a large cabinet full of food, including more than 20 bags of lentils and rice, canned goods and cooking oil. Lemons from the church garden were piled on a blanket.
The International Solidarity Movement said in a statement that the foreign activists were surrounded by priests Friday who "insulted them, pushed and shoved several of the internationals and locked all of them into one room."
Allegra Pachecco, an American-Israeli human rights lawyer who was representing them, said the group had wanted guarantees that they could hold a news conference and possibly exit the church with their lawyer.
Father Gustavo, a Fransiscan priest who was in the church during the standoff, said the activists had stayed all the time in a room in the back of the church in the Greek-Orthodox section, and were there when police came to arrest them.
One priest, who asked not to be identified, said the activists desecrated the holy site built over the traditional birthplace of Jesus by smoking and drinking. In addition to the four Americans, those arrested Friday include a British citizen, 2 Swedes, a Canadian, an Irish citizen and an activist from Denmark.
They emerged hours after the Palestinians had left, waving V-signs at bystanders before they were taken away by police. The 39 Palestinian militiamen walked out of the compound at sunrise Friday in deal between Israel and the Palestinians. Thirteen of the gunmen were deported to Cyprus and 26 were transferred to the Gaza Strip.
Georgina Reeves, a member of International Solidarity Movement, said earlier Friday that the group had hoped for the same terms granted to their colleagues who had been holed up in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah.
Adam Shapiro, 30, from Brooklyn, New York, and Caoimhe Butterly from Dublin, Ireland, had spent a night under fire in Arafat's offices and were allowed to walk out afterward without consequence.
Shapiro's fiance, Huwaida Arraf, of Roseville, Michigan, went on a hunger strike when she was detained by Israeli authorities.
Arraf and 12 others were arrested in Bethlehem after the other 10 members sneaked into the church.
"The hunger strike was broken on airline food. It was an omelet," Arraf said Wednesday upon her return to the United States
Arraf said she agreed to leave Israel only after officials presented her with a note affirming she was not being deported and would be allowed to return to Israel.
By IBRAHIM HAZBOUN Associated Press Writer
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
I said a cargo plane out of respect for the passengers of a regular plane because they would not be permitted to get a bath until they were home. I'm sure that they really smell ripe.
The International Solidarity Movement said in a statement that the foreign activists were surrounded by priests Friday who "insulted them, pushed and shoved several of the internationals and locked all of them into one room."
Didn't I tell you that the monks were probably getting testy? LOL. I mean, there's a limit to what one can endure...
Gosh, I hope this is true.
There must be millions of us who would LOVE to have the opportunity to see Israel again, and will not have the chance, and then these God-hating fools go over there to desecrate it with their atheistic presence.
Then, four weeks later, these bunch of sociopathic foreigners come running into the church to "help" - actually to self-promote themselves, note their "demand" to have a press conference.
Wouldn't you beat up these interferers too?
...one man's activist....
Aside from the booze and butts there probably some strange tubical rubber objects that the good Father didn't recognize, these people make me ill.
Heard this chick being interviewed on Fox the other day. Unbelievably self-centered and obtuse about what was going on around her. She sounded barely out of high school, was completely immersed in protesting the "inhumane violations of the Geneva convention" and the "starving of the people inside" while totally ignoring any Palestinian culpability. She needed a good shaking, at the very least. It was infuriating, saved only by the Fox anchor, who rolled her eyes, made some comment about it being necessary to expose certain viewpoints for what they really are, and called the ISM "extremely pro-Palestinian." Priceless.
These idiots are claiming that they were beat up by franciscan priests while refusing to leave a church which was occupied (but recently vacated)by armed Palestinians?
What kind of justification can they possibly have for this? What a bunch of dopes!
reporters who entered the church Friday found a large cabinet full of food, including more than 20 bags of lentils and rice, canned goods and cooking oil. Lemons from the church garden were piled on a blanket.
Of course, no one in the media wants to dwell on this, since, as with Jenin, they all parroted the Pali propaganda line.
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