(San Francisco Chronicle) Matthew Kalman - At least 15 Christians were injured when Palestinian police opened fire on a crowd in Bethlehem in the wake of the elopement of a Christian girl and a Muslim man. The establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994 brought an influx of Muslims into the mostly Christian city and its adjoining middle-class towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour. Christians accuse Muslims of taking over land and jobs and forcing them out of political power. Earlier this month, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both militant Muslim groups, won municipal elections over the secular Fatah party for the first time in Bethlehem's history.
2005-05-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive