In his first public address following his release from Ramallah, Arafat called IDF soldiers surrounding Bethlehem\'s Church of the Nativity \"terrorists, Nazis, and racists.\" He was reacting to an incident that began when Arab gunmen who have been holding hostages there for four weeks ignited fires in three places inside the church complex last night. Some observers say that it was no coincidence that this occurred precisely at the moment the siege was lifted in Ramallah. The Palestinians then opened fire from inside the church, leading to a fierce gun battle with the Israeli soldiers.
While Arafat\'s terrorists were engaged in these hostile acts against Christian and Jewish interests, Arafat was able to exploit the situation with angry - some said \"crazed\" - accusations at Israel for \"burning the church.\" The international media that \"happened\" to be on hand to cover the end of the siege were thus able to transmit this message across the world. The blaze was contained after a half hour, despite the fact that the Arabs prevented fire trucks from reaching the site.
Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, speaking on CNN today, mentioned Arafat\'s \"nightly call for a million martyrs\" in the Arab war against Israel. He also noted that the Moslem-lit fires in the Bethlehem church were a PA attempt to foster Christian hatred against Jews in a manner reminiscent of the Nazis.
In yet another provocation this afternoon, Arab gunmen in the church fired at IDF soldiers. The Israelis returned fire, killing one and wounding three, although the army evacuated two of the wounded to an Israeli hospital. It was later reported that some 20 left-wing activists attempted to break into the church in order to \"end the siege;\" ten of them were detained by the IDF.
In Hevron, the IDF made sure not to let another standoff-situation develop yesterday when it allowed 17 Arab terrorists to \"escape\" from the Alia Hospital. The decision to let them leave was made in light of the fact that the army\'s prime target - Tanzim murderer Louis Kapisha - had already been captured, and because it was assumed that the others could be captured fairly easily if necessary.
While Arafat\'s terrorists were engaged in these hostile acts against Christian and Jewish interests, Arafat was able to exploit the situation with angry - some said \"crazed\" - accusations at Israel for \"burning the church.\" The international media that \"happened\" to be on hand to cover the end of the siege were thus able to transmit this message across the world. The blaze was contained after a half hour, despite the fact that the Arabs prevented fire trucks from reaching the site.
Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, speaking on CNN today, mentioned Arafat\'s \"nightly call for a million martyrs\" in the Arab war against Israel. He also noted that the Moslem-lit fires in the Bethlehem church were a PA attempt to foster Christian hatred against Jews in a manner reminiscent of the Nazis.
In yet another provocation this afternoon, Arab gunmen in the church fired at IDF soldiers. The Israelis returned fire, killing one and wounding three, although the army evacuated two of the wounded to an Israeli hospital. It was later reported that some 20 left-wing activists attempted to break into the church in order to \"end the siege;\" ten of them were detained by the IDF.
In Hevron, the IDF made sure not to let another standoff-situation develop yesterday when it allowed 17 Arab terrorists to \"escape\" from the Alia Hospital. The decision to let them leave was made in light of the fact that the army\'s prime target - Tanzim murderer Louis Kapisha - had already been captured, and because it was assumed that the others could be captured fairly easily if necessary.