Conditions for Ending the Siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem - 2002-05-07

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are still engaged in discussions over the details under which Israel would end the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Officials familiar with the nature of the talks say that the unresolved issue remains how many Palestinian militants holed up inside the church should be exiled. Israel demands that 13 individuals be exiled, but the Palestinians have not agreed to exile more than six or seven. On the other hand, reports released on Sunday indicated that Italy would be a potential destination for the exiles. However, Gianfranco Fini, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister, stated that to his knowledge, Italy has not agreed to accept any Palestinians accused of terrorism. Italian officials say that the country will not welcome the exile of Palestinian militants besieged in the Church of the Nativity to any part of Italy. These statements from Italian officials are a response to reports on Monday that Palestinian and Israeli negotiators had reached an agreement to end the siege of the Church of the Nativity. According to the proposed plan, 13 Palestinian militants inside the Church of the Nativity would be exiled to Italy, and 26 of them to the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources say that Yasser Arafat has approved this plan. However, Italian officials state that they were not consulted about the agreement. Last month, following the entry of Israeli soldiers and tanks into Bethlehem, about 200 Palestinians, including an unknown number of armed men, sought refuge in the Church of the Nativity and became besieged by Israeli forces.