Cthe city where Christians believe Jesus was born, eye-witnesses and reporters said. The first Israeli raid into Bethlehem since the month-long siege of the Church of the Nativity ended, came a day after a bomber detonated an explosive device at Tel Aviv nightclub. 5 people were injured in Friday’s attack, said the well informed International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) News Service.
The Israeli raid in Bethlehem was expected to come as a major set-back for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who earlier this month visited the Church of the Nativity after Israeli troops lifted a 39-day siege of the site. Dozens of militants inside the church agreed to go into exile in Europe or to the Gaza Strip.
ARAFAT
However Israeli officials have criticized Arafat for not doing enough to stop the violence and warned of increased terrorism. "We are facing waves of suicide bombers, men and women, and believe me that when I say ‘waves’ I know what I’m talking about," the ICEJ News Service quoted Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer as saying.
The minister, who is seen as more moderate than Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, appeared to suggest that the Government has no other option than to act again with force, if necessary.
Palestinian police officials already reported Saturday, May 25, that Israeli troops were searching houses within 200 metres (660 feet) of the Church of the Nativity, which Catholic and Orthodox leaders believe was built over the birthplace of Jesus. Other witnesses told journalists Saturday night May 25 that Israeli soldiers had already announced a new curfew in Bethlehem.
EXPLOSION
The witnesses claimed that soldiers surrounded the house of Mohammed Shehad, the local leader of the radical group Islamic Jihad before hearing an explosion in the area, the Voice of America (VOA) said.
VOA reported that it was unclear if troops destroyed the dwelling. There were no immediate reports about injuries. The army had no immediate comment on the reported raid, the Reuters news agency said.
It came after Israeli soldiers reportedly pulled out of another West Bank town, Tulkarm, after two-day search for terror suspects. The army is remaining on the fringes of the town and has imposed a curfew, news reports said.
BOY ARRESTED
Elsewhere in the West Bank Saturday, Israeli soldiers arrested a 16-year- old boy in a taxi at a road-block between Jenin and Nablus, VOA reported Saturday, May 25. The boy was apparently wearing a belt of explosives and the army said he may have been planning a suicide attack.
At the same time in the Gaza Strip, Israeli tank fire killed a Palestinian woman and her young daughter in a field near the al-Bureij refugee camp, according to local reports. The Israeli army said that its soldiers opened fire when they saw "two suspicious figures" close to a security fence near the Israeli border. It called the shooting "a tragic incident."
Christian leaders in Israel have earlier urged believers around the world to pray for the country in this time of crisis.
