JERUSALEM, May 2, 02 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, a special envoy from Pope John Paul II, arrived in Jerusalem on May 2, amid a flurry of new developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat was released from his effective captivity in Ramallah after six Palestinians accused of terrorist activities were taken into custody by American and British agents under a brokered agreement. But at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, there were extended gunfights-- killing one Palestinian and wounding several others-- after fires broke out inside the church compound.
Cardinal Etchegaray met with Israel's President Moshe Katzav shortly after his arrival in the Holy Land. He was due to meet with Arafat later in the day. In a prepared statement, the French-born prelate said: "I come in the name of John Paul II, who resolutely never ceases to witness respect for and confidence in the two peoples, Israelis and Palestinians-- both lacerated today but united by a deep aspiration to live in freedom, justice and security, to which they have a right."
Regarding the month-long siege in Bethlehem, the cardinal said: "I come to ask that everything be done to end the tragic situation in Bethlehem and that the basilica of the Nativity be returned to God and to believers."
Franciscan spokesmen in Jerusalem said that the latest exchange of gunfire at the Church of the Nativity showed the "explosive nature of the situation" there. Both Israeli and Palestinian spokesmen claimed that the other side had set the fires and begun the shooting. Israeli soldiers told the New York Times that they had actually shot into the air, rather than at Palestinian opponents. But the only reported casualties were among the Palestinian gunmen in the basilica.
CWNews DAILY NEWS BRIEF © Copyright 2002 Domus Enterprises
2. mai 2002