BETHLEHEM, Mar 12, 02 (FIDES/CWNews.com) - The city of Bethlehem, the object of a major Israeli military offensive last week, now resembles a ghost town, according to a report from the Fides news service.
Bethlehem University, which is funded by the Vatican, has been forced to close down because of fears for the safety of students. During the night of March 8, a wire-guided missile was fired at the newly inaugurated Millennium Hall on the school's campus, blowing out windows and window frames. The impact damaged two other nearby buildings, housing the Institute of Hotel Management and the Social and Cultural Center.
Speaking to Fides, Christian Brother Vincent Malham, the American-born president of Bethlehem's Christian University, launched an appeal: "In this tragic situation, we beg the international community to help pressure Israel to withdraw its soldiers from the Palestinian Territories and to resume peace talks."
Brother Malham rejected the Israeli explanation that the military offensive was aimed at Palestinian militants. "There is no fighting on the campus," he pointed out.
CWNews DAILY NEWS BRIEF
12. mars 2002