BETHLEHEM, Holy Land, Oct 23, 01 (CWNews.com) - The lull in fighting during a peace march by Christians in Bethlehem was swiftly broken again as gun battles broke out on Tuesday afternoon between Palestinian militants and Israeli soldiers.
Hundreds of people, led by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican envoy to the Holy Land, marched through Bethlehem on Tuesday, following five days of fighting that have left more than two dozen dead. Tanks and armored vehicles stood idly by as the Christians marched through the birthplace of Christ, past buildings scarred by bullet holes.
"What should be stopped is the war, especially in so sacred a place like Bethlehem which is the heart of all Christianity," Archbishop Sambi said before reaching Manger Square, where hundreds of Christian and Muslim Palestinians stood waiting. The bells of the Church of Nativity tolled as the Muslim call to prayer was sounded from a mosque across the square.
One of at least 25 Palestinians killed in the fighting, a Christian named Johnny Talgia, was shot as he left the Church of the Nativity on Saturday.
"We want peace for the Palestinian people," Archbishop Sambi said to applause as he stood inside the church. "We want peace for the Israeli people," he continued, applause echoing again in the cavernous interior packed with worshippers. "So our pilgrimage to the birthplace of Jesus is not against anybody. It is all in favor of peace."
But those hopes for peace were dashed when gun battles broke out five minutes after the archbishop left the church. Palestinian gunmen had started firing machine guns at targets across a valley at the nearby Israeli neighborhood of Gilo.
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
23. oktober 2001