Helmeted Israeli police enter church to remove foreigner activists holding up Bethlehem deal

AP | 5/10/02 | IBRAHIM HAZBOUN

[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

[Catspaw]

No, no, no. The funniest thing was Huwaida saying she broke her fast on airline food.

Gawd, the ultimate insult to the digestive system. All in all, jail food would be a healthy alternative.

[rageaholic]

What I want to know is who gave these morons the idea to "express solidarity" by flying to Israel to chill with a bunch of besieged terrorist scumwarts? Its not like flakes from Denmark Ireland Britian and the USA all get the same ideas independently. No, they were dispatched from some central organization. Who gave the orders and why?

[afraidfortherepublic]

Goes to show that these weenies think of all their activities as a college party.

Or after hours at the Clinton White House.

[Frances_Marion]

You're right of course, I was just venting, not really serious. I seriously do wish someone would find out these dopes' names and addresses and put them on every junk mail list from here to Yokohama.

[rageaholic]

Ah, I see now. These "activists" are "Palisolidarity" drones. Expect to see them at a pizzaria near you.