VARIOUS: DAY LONG FIGHTING CONTINUES AROUND BETHLEHEMS MANGER SQUARE/ ISRAELI AUTHORITIES TURN CHRISTIAN CLERGYMEN BACK AT GILO CHECKPOINT
Record ID:
376127
VARIOUS: DAY LONG FIGHTING CONTINUES AROUND BETHLEHEMS MANGER SQUARE/ ISRAELI AUTHORITIES TURN CHRISTIAN CLERGYMEN BACK AT GILO CHECKPOINT
- Title: VARIOUS: DAY LONG FIGHTING CONTINUES AROUND BETHLEHEMS MANGER SQUARE/ ISRAELI AUTHORITIES TURN CHRISTIAN CLERGYMEN BACK AT GILO CHECKPOINT
- Date: 2nd April 2002
- Summary: (W3)BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (APRIL 2, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS, ISRAELI HELICOPTER DROPPING ANTI-MISSILE FLARES (2 SHOTS) 0.15 2. PULL OUT/ WIDE OF SMOKE RISING FROM BETHLEHEM TO HELICOPTER DROPPING MORE ANTI-MISSILE FLARES WITH SOUND OF GUNFIRE IN BACKGROUND (3 SHOTS) 0.43 3. ZOOM IN BETHLEHEM WITH SMOKE COMING FROM ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIER 1.06 4. WIDE OF SMOKE RISING FROM BUILDING WITH SOUND OF GUNFIRE IN BACKGROUND 1.15 5. VARIOUS, SMOKE COMING FROM BUILDING MORE AUDIO OF GUNFIRE (3 SHOTS) 1.36 6. WIDE OF CITY WITH CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY ON THE SKYLINE 1.43 (W3)BEIT JALA (APRIL 3, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 7. SLV JOURNALISTS LOOKING OUT OF WINDOW 1.48 8. SLV SATELLITE ON ROOF OVERLOOKING BEIT JALA 1.50 9. WIDE OF DESERTED STREET IN BEIT JALA 1.53 (W3)JERUSALEM (APRIL 3, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 10. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) RANAAN GISSIN, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "This comes as no surprise to us that, as the Tanzim in Bethlehem feel they are on the run because of our military operation, they return to their old practice of trying to use, misuse and abuse churches and holy sites in Bethlehem as a refuge and place from which they can conduct their attack on our forces." 2.16 11. SMV SMOKE RISING FROM BETHLEHEM BUILDINGS/ DIRECTION OF MANGER SQUARE 2.22 12. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) GISSIN SAYING: "I want to make it very clear that, despite the fact that we are conducting a very difficult, complex and dangerous military operation in those built up areas, we take great care not to harm and not to damage in any way any of the religious sites in these areas and other areas as well." 2.38 (W3)BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (APRIL 2, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 13. ZOOM IN TO HELICOPTERS FIRING MISSILES (AUDIO OF GUNFIRE) (2 SHOTS) 3.00 (U3)GILO CHECKPOINT, NEAR BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (APRIL 3, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 14. SMV SOLDIERS AT CHECKPOINT DRINKING 3.03 15. PAN DOWN FROM SOLDIERS AT CHECKPOINT TO GREEK ORTHODOX CLERGYMEN SITTING IN CAR IN FRONT OF ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIER (APC) (3 SHOTS) 3.15 16. SLV CLERGY'S CAR AT CHECK POINT 3.22 17. SMV CLERGYMEN INSIDE CAR 3.28 18. SMV CLERGYMAN WAVING OLIVE BRANCH 3.33 19. SMV SOLDIERS STANDING BY CAR AND TALKING TO CLERGY INSIDE CAR WITH TELEVISION CREW FILMING 3.37 20. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) LATIN PATRIARCH MICHEL SABBAH SAYING: "We want to visit Bethlehem in this situation of war and we want to bring a message of peace to the Israelis and the Palestinians on either side and we think the fight is over, the Israelis have done the fight, they won the fight, so there's no more reason to remain in Bethlehem they can go back very peacefully." 4.10 21. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANGLICAN BISHOP SAYING: "We told them we are not here simply to demonstrate we are here to make peace." 4.19 22. WIDE OF CLERGY ANJD MEDIA AT CHECKPOINT 4.24 23. SLV CLERGY STANDING TOGETHER WITH OLIVE BRANCHES 4.27 24. CLOSE UP OF MICHEL SABBAH AS CLERGY CHANT AROUND HIM 4.37 25. CLOSE OF GREEK ORTHODOX CLERGYMAN HGOLDING OLIVE BRANCH 4.41 26. WIDE OF CLERGY STANDING IN THE RAIN 4.42 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 17th April 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BETHLEHEM, GILO CHECKPOINT NEAR BETHLEHEM AND BEIT JALA; WEST BANK / JERUSALEM
- City:
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Reuters ID: LVADXF60IQ5TC4M5WL10MDERETWN
- Story Text: In the West Bank town of Bethlehem, outgunned
Palestinians fought desperate day-long battles to keep Israeli
troops out of Manger Square after tanks and armoured vehicles
backed by helicopter gunships pushed into the biblical town
near Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Senior Christian clergymen have been turned back from the
Gilo checkpoint near Bethlehem where they were trying to
deliver a message of peace.
Witnesses reported fierce clashes on Wednesday (April
3) near the Church of Nativity, built over the spot where
Christians believe Jesus was born, and Islamic Jihad said its
fighters had damaged two Israeli tanks, wounding several
soldiers.
The army denied the report and accused the Palestinians of
deliberately fighting from world famous churches.
Israeli helicopter gunships hovered over the town,
dropping flares to ward off any possible Palestinian missile
attacks against them.
In the streets, armoured personnel carriers clashed with
Palestinian gunmen. Smoke from explosions and the clashes
could be clearly seen rising over the Bethlehem skyline.
Witnesses said an 80-year-old Palestinian man was shot
dead outside his house. A woman and her son were killed.
Majdi Benoura, 30, a Palestinian cameraman working for
Qatar's al-Jazeera station, was wounded in the neck as he was
filming from the roof of the city's Star Hotel, colleagues
said.
The Russian Orthodox Church sent an angry message to
Israel demanding an immediate withdrawal from a Russian church
building it said Israeli troops had occupied in the Bethlehem
battles.
In Jerusalem, Israeli government spokesman, Ranaan Gissin,
defended the action saying that Palestinian gunmen were
purposely using the churches as refuges.
"This comes as no surprise to us that, as the Tanzim in
Bethlehem feel they are on the run because of our military
operation, they return to their old practice of trying to use,
misuse and abuse churches and holy sites in Bethlehem as a
refuge and place from which they can conduct their attack on
our forces," Gissin said.
Gissin added that, despite the difficulties of the
operation the Israeli army would not harm any religious sites.
"We take great care not to harm and not to damage in any
way any of the religious sites in these areas and other areas
as well," he added.
Senior clergymen from different arms of the Christian
faith gathered together on Wednesday in an attempt to send a
message of peace to Israelis and Palestinians fighting in
Bethlehem.
The clergy were stopped by the Israeli army at the Gilo
checkpoint just outside the town. The priests peacefully
requested access, but were refused.
The Latin Patriarch, Michel Sabbah, told Reuters that the
Israelis had won the fight and now it was time for them to
leave Bethlehem.
"We want to visit Bethlehem in this situation of war, and
we want to bring a message of peace to the Israelis and the
Palestinians on either side, and we think the fight is over.
The Israelis have done the fight, they won the fight, so
there's no more reason to remain in Bethlehem, they can go
back very peacefully," he said.
A senior Anglican Bishop said that they were not at the
checkpoint to demonstrate, but to bring a message of peace.
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