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| Middle East |
| Israel Bars Arafat From Bethlehem Again |
| 2003-12-17 |
| JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel on Tuesday barred Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem for a third straight year, as Egyptian mediators again pressed Palestinian militants to halt attacks. Let him visit Bethelem and forget about any foreign tourists in the West ... oh, right. With efforts to revive peace talks at a standstill, Israeli leaders sent a mixed message to the Palestinians: Israel is ready to negotiate but will take unilateral action if peace talks fail. That’s not a mixed message, but al-Guardian missed it. Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has advocated a unilateral pullout from occupied lands in recent weeks, warned the public to be ready for painful concessions. He said ``tens of thousands’’ of settlers in the West Bank and Gaza would be uprooted - though he gave no details. Arafat told a Christian delegation at his sandbagged headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah that he hoped to participate in the Christmas festivities this year in Bethlehem, the traditional site of Jesus’ birthplace. ``I haven’t missed it, except since being besieged in this building,’’ Arafat said. Coincidentially, the last few years have been peaceful there at Christmas time. Arafat, a Muslim, regularly attended the Bethlehem celebrations - a politically motivated move aimed at asserting Palestinian control of the town - before Israel confined him to Ramallah two years ago. Israel accuses the Palestinian leader of failing to prevent suicide attacks. The Palestinian Authority had requested that Arafat be allowed to make the 12-mile trip from Ramallah to Bethlehem, an Israeli official said. But Israel’s policy is that ``Arafat stays where he is Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has made the travel issue a priority. Enabling Arafat to move around again would strengthen Qureia’s public standing as he tries to restart peace talks. Might move his poll numbers from 0.1 to 0.2%. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #7 Although the International Christian Communities never objected to the blatant politicization of Mass in Bethlehem by Arafat it is strange that all those Muslim extremists never objected to him subjecting himself to Christian Ritual. Saudi Arabia won't even permit Christians in its territory during the Holiday period to celebrate Christmas. That the world permits Arafat, of all people (animals) to be present is a disgrace. Of course Israel will, as usual, be set as the polecat of the world. Then of course with the Vatican expressing remorse at the capture of Saddam...........! |
| Posted by: Barry 2003-12-17 11:12:46 AM |
| #6 Ought to make this a new Christmas tradition. |
| Posted by: BH 2003-12-17 10:58:11 AM |
| #5 Given that it was Arafarts thugs that VIOLATED the Church, why would anyone want to invite this leader of thugs to a mass? So no xmas present for 'general' Arafart. Hell he doesn't celebrate the holiday, he just uses it for political purposes. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-12-17 10:57:25 AM |
| #4 Been there too, Jen - the mosaic floors are stunning and irreplaceable. I was appalled that that priest thought more highly of the Palestinian moslems who urinated in the church than he did of the Israelis. OTOH, he probably rationalized it as necessary to keep the Palestinians from just blowing it up. |
| Posted by: rkb 2003-12-17 10:52:05 AM |
| #3 12mile drive+IED=plausable deniability Works for me. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-12-17 8:08:55 AM |
| #2 Best that they do keep him out of Bethlehem. You never know when a Nativity scene might explode. And baby Jesus head is a dangerous projectile when aimed correctly. |
| Posted by: Charles 2003-12-17 7:10:52 AM |
| #1 Delighted to hear that the unbeliever Arafat won't be defiling the site of Our Lord's birth again this Christmas! I've actually been to this church--it was lovely. Lest we forget, the Paleos totally trashed it not that many months ago and yet we "kuffir" aren't even allowed inside their holy mosques. Along the same lines with Cardinal Martina saying that US forces treated Saddam "like a cow," remember the Catholic parish priest of Bethlehem who almost cried last Christmas Eve because his Mooselimb brother Arafat wasn't "allowed" to be there by the cruel, cruel Jooos? Has the Vatican just started tearing off the Old Testament part of their Bible? |
| Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro 2003-12-17 12:54:15 AM |