Bethlehem standoff near an end

Associated Press

BETHLEHEM, West Bank – Palestinian officials said early today that a deal had been struck to end a monthlong standoff at the Church of Nativity, although a top Israeli official said there had been progress but no agreement.

Israeli officials said negotiations continued as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon arrived in the United States for talks with President Bush.

However, The Los Angeles Times on Sunday night reported that both sides had agreed to an accord.

More than 200 Palestinians, including about 30 gunmen, fled into the church April 2, ahead of invading Israeli forces, at the height of Israel’s large-scale incursion into the West Bank.

“The deal consists of six to eight people to be (deported to) Italy and more than 30 to Gaza,” said Hassan Abed Rabbo, a senior in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah party. About 100 people are still in the church, including clerics and some protesters. Palestinians said the rest would be freed from the church, which marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

But Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Yarden Vatikay denied that a deal had been reached. “There is no agreement yet,” he told The Associated Press. “They are negotiating our demands for people to be deported.”

Palestinian officials said the accord was worked out by the Vatican and the European Union.

In the wake of last month’s large-scale Israeli military offensive in the West Bank, Bethlehem is the only Palestinian city still occupied by Israeli troops. But brief incursions and raids into Palestinian cities and towns continued Sunday.

Israeli soldiers mistakenly shot and killed a woman and her two small children in a vineyard in the northern West Bank after an explosive went off under their tank, Israeli military officials said.

The military expressed regret over the killings and said soldiers had fired on suspicious figures after the explosion, according to Israeli officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The woman’s husband and four other men, farmers who had been working in the vineyard, were arrested by soldiers, witnesses said.

Early today, two Palestinians were killed and two Israeli soldiers were wounded after an hours-long fire fight in a citrus grove near the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said. In another incident, Israeli troops shot and killed a 9-year-old Palestinian boy in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the West Bank.

Sharon left Sunday for the United States with a 91-page booklet of documents that Israel claims prove Arafat is directly involved in funding terrorists.

Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo labeled the booklet “ridiculous” and said that all the documents were forged.

One document is a request for funding for militants including Raed Karmi, head of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, responsible for dozens of attacks against Israel. On the document Arafat writes, “Allocate $600 for each one,” and signs his name.

Palestinians say the money was for political and social activities, not attacks. Karmi was killed Jan. 14 in an explosion widely attributed to Israel.

The United States is committed to a Palestinian state with Arafat as its likely leader, President Bush’s foreign policy advisers reaffirmed Sunday, heading off opposition expected from Israel’s prime minister at his White House meeting this week.

Administration officials also are looking for a radical overhaul of Palestinian governance, ending corruption and quashing terror.

Sharon has said that Arafat is “irrelevant” and a terrorist. U.S. officials said Arafat. who has yet to meet with Bush. still represents the Palestinians.

“It serves us all better if we continue to work with all Palestinian leaders and to recognize who the Palestinian people look to as their leader,” Secretary of State Colin Powell told ABC’s “This Week.”

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Hundreds rally against Trump on Presidents Day in Everett

People lined Broadway with signs and flags, similar to other protests across the country

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.