Israel states that the implementation of the agreement made with Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, to end the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is delayed because no country is willing to accept the 13 Palestinian militants trapped inside the church. Israel wants these 31 Palestinians to be exiled to Italy. However, the Italian government claims that it was not consulted about this agreement with Italian officials and that the country does not welcome the exile of Palestinian militants to any part of its territory. According to the proposed plan, 13 Palestinian militants inside the Church of the Nativity would be exiled to Italy, and 26 of them would go to the Gaza Strip. 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 were subsequently besieged by Israeli forces.
Delay in Implementing Agreement to End Siege of the Church of the Nativity - 2002-05-07
The implementation of an agreement to end the siege of the Church of the Nativity is delayed due to the lack of a country willing to accept the Palestinian militants inside. Israel proposes to exile these militants to Italy, but the Italian government has not agreed to this plan. This situation highlights ongoing tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
The implementation of an agreement to end the siege of the Church of the Nativity is delayed because no country is willing to accept the Palestinian militants trapped inside. Israel proposed to exile them to Italy, but Italy has not agreed to this plan.
- 13 Palestinian militants are trapped inside the Church of the Nativity.
- Israel wants to exile these militants to Italy, but Italy has not consented.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The Church of the Nativity siege was part of the broader conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, marked by violence and military actions during the Second Intifada.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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Translation confidence: 85%