Daily Alert Archives

Bethlehem Becomes Sanctuary for Hunted Palestinian Militants

(Los Angeles Times) - Palestinian militants have been quietly migrating to Bethlehem since Israeli soldiers pulled out over the summer. The day before Christmas Eve, the Bethlehem commander of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group with ties to Arafat, sat in an idling sedan at the edge of Manger Square. The trunk of his car was stocked with a tangle of M-16 rifles. "I'm sitting here talking to you, and the people can see me," said Abu Hussein. "This wouldn't have happened before, with the Israelis." Hussein enjoys a certain freedom in Bethlehem under the watch of Palestinian troops, with whom he says he enjoys an "excellent, excellent, excellent" relationship. "With the Palestinian police, it's mutual respect. We visit them and they visit us. We're all under the instructions of the president," he said, referring to Arafat. "Here we can walk around, we can drive around," said Abu Diya, a fugitive from Hebron who sought sanctuary in Bethlehem five months ago. Israel's complaints that Bethlehem has become a sanctuary for militants on the run are accurate, Palestinian security officials say.
2003-12-26 00:00:00
Full Article