PLO sources reported last night, and Israeli sources confirmed today, that a deal had been reached to end the five-week-old standoff at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. An American official, however, said that an agreement would not be finalized before tomorrow. Israeli and Arab negotiators have been working nearly around the clock to decide what to do with the some 120 people left inside the church, including terrorists highly wanted by Israel, other PLO gunmen, and Christian clergy held hostage by the first two groups.
The plan under discussion stipulates that six heavily-wanted terrorists will be deported to Italy or another country, some 30 other terrorists will be permitted to ‘stand trial’ in a PA court in Gaza, and the rest will be set free. Officials of the Gaza Coast Regional Council, as well as of the neighboring municipalities of Sderot and Ashkelon Coast, called on Prime Minister Sharon not to allow the terrorists to enter Gaza, \"which is already suffering from an overabundance of terrorists.\"
The numbers tell the following story: Over 150 wanted terrorists, including 15 heavily-wanted terrorists, hid out in the church, and they held 73 clergymen and their assistants hostages. The clergy were mistreated, and one of the monks who was able to get out told of severe abuse and humiliation, as well as Arab-caused damage to the church building and holy objects. In the course of various gunfire exchanges in the past five weeks, 21 Arabs were killed and several dozen were hurt; 27 Israeli soldiers were wounded. Seventeen gunmen gave themselves up, including one heavily-wanted terrorist, and about 80 other people left the church in other ways.
In other anti-terrorism fronts, IDF forces were scheduled to leave Tul Karem this afternoon - for the second time in two days. The forces entered the PA city on Saturday night for several hours, during which they arrested five terrorist suspects. In the ensuing interrogations, the terrorists told of plans to carry out attacks inside pre-1967 Israel. Based on this information, the forces returned last night to encircle a densely-populated neighborhood in Tul Karem and thus protect against that type of eventuality.
In Gaza, four Palestinian terrorists were killed in two separate attempted attacks last night. The first two attempted to cross the Green Line near the Kisufim Crossing, opening fire and throwing grenades at an Israeli force they encountered. The soldiers fired back, killing both attackers; two soldiers were wounded, including one in serious condition. A bit further north, an IDF force noticed a cell of armed terrorists attempting to infiltrate near the Karni Crossing. The soldiers opened fire and killed both terrorists. In searches performed this morning, the two bodies were found, and on them were Kalachnikov rifles and an explosives vest. The IDF Spokesman noted that in the past month, Israeli forces in Gaza have thwarted dozens of attempted terrorist attacks against soldiers and civilians... A bomb exploded late this afternoon on the road outside Adura, west of Hevron. No one was hurt.
Hizbullah fired anti-aircraft fire at Israel Air Force jets along the western sector of the Israeli-Lebanese border near Shlomi this morning; shrapnel rained down on the city, but no one was hurt.
The plan under discussion stipulates that six heavily-wanted terrorists will be deported to Italy or another country, some 30 other terrorists will be permitted to ‘stand trial’ in a PA court in Gaza, and the rest will be set free. Officials of the Gaza Coast Regional Council, as well as of the neighboring municipalities of Sderot and Ashkelon Coast, called on Prime Minister Sharon not to allow the terrorists to enter Gaza, \"which is already suffering from an overabundance of terrorists.\"
The numbers tell the following story: Over 150 wanted terrorists, including 15 heavily-wanted terrorists, hid out in the church, and they held 73 clergymen and their assistants hostages. The clergy were mistreated, and one of the monks who was able to get out told of severe abuse and humiliation, as well as Arab-caused damage to the church building and holy objects. In the course of various gunfire exchanges in the past five weeks, 21 Arabs were killed and several dozen were hurt; 27 Israeli soldiers were wounded. Seventeen gunmen gave themselves up, including one heavily-wanted terrorist, and about 80 other people left the church in other ways.
In other anti-terrorism fronts, IDF forces were scheduled to leave Tul Karem this afternoon - for the second time in two days. The forces entered the PA city on Saturday night for several hours, during which they arrested five terrorist suspects. In the ensuing interrogations, the terrorists told of plans to carry out attacks inside pre-1967 Israel. Based on this information, the forces returned last night to encircle a densely-populated neighborhood in Tul Karem and thus protect against that type of eventuality.
In Gaza, four Palestinian terrorists were killed in two separate attempted attacks last night. The first two attempted to cross the Green Line near the Kisufim Crossing, opening fire and throwing grenades at an Israeli force they encountered. The soldiers fired back, killing both attackers; two soldiers were wounded, including one in serious condition. A bit further north, an IDF force noticed a cell of armed terrorists attempting to infiltrate near the Karni Crossing. The soldiers opened fire and killed both terrorists. In searches performed this morning, the two bodies were found, and on them were Kalachnikov rifles and an explosives vest. The IDF Spokesman noted that in the past month, Israeli forces in Gaza have thwarted dozens of attempted terrorist attacks against soldiers and civilians... A bomb exploded late this afternoon on the road outside Adura, west of Hevron. No one was hurt.
Hizbullah fired anti-aircraft fire at Israel Air Force jets along the western sector of the Israeli-Lebanese border near Shlomi this morning; shrapnel rained down on the city, but no one was hurt.