Indiscriminate Violence…Violation of Human Rights: Palestinian Reminiscence

Nour Rida

Every year, Palestinians mark the memory of their deportation from their homeland after the 2002 "Israeli" siege of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Not only that, but also like other cases of "Israeli" fact distortion, the Zionist entity claims this was a "defense operation" in which it was confronting what it dubbed "Palestinian terrorists".

In April 2002, "Israeli" forces surrounded and attacked the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the West Bank, where thirty nine Palestinian resistance fighters were wanted by "Israeli" forces, for the ‘crime' of resisting "Israeli" occupation of their land. Also, along with them were priests and civilians. After 40 days of siege, an agreement was reached in which twenty of them were banished to the Gaza Strip and thirteen others were deported to six different European countries.

Like always, ‘media blackout card' was used. Journalists were largely kept away from the area of the Church, making it difficult to know what was going on.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights had recorded the events of that Zionist Operation, free of falsehood:

On 2 April the siege began. Throughout the siege, "Israeli" flares and bullets flew over the center of Bethlehem, "Israeli" forces now and again shelled the Church of the Nativity to force the Palestinians inside to surrender, on 5 April, Samir Ibrahim Salman (42), was killed by "Israeli" fire. "Israeli" forces also destroyed the southern gate of the church and a number of Israeli soldiers moved into its southern yard. Three people were wounded by "Israeli" fire.

On 6 April 2002, 20 peace activists were prevented by the "Israeli" military from bringing food and medicine to 200 Palestinians trapped in the Church of the Nativity. "Israeli" soldiers aimed a tank gun towards them while they accompanied a Red Crescent ambulance, refused them entry to Manger Square and fired live ammunition into the air above them when they were within 50 yards of the Church of the Nativity. Black smoke poured into the air after a building near the Syrian Church was hit twice by "Israeli" shells.
On 8 April 2002, "Israeli" forces surrounding the Church of the Nativity again opened fire at the church, resulting in fire breaking out in the room of one of the priests there. When people inside the church attempted to extinguish the fire, "Israeli" forces fired at them, killing Khaled Mousa Abu Siam (23) with a live bullet in his head.
On 10 April 2002, at around 6:00 p.m., Ali Farah (60), from Dheisheh refugee camp, was killed by live ammunition in the chest by an "Israeli" sniper while passing by the Holy Bible College in the center of Bethlehem. Inside the Nativity, Armen Sinanian, an Armenian Orthodox monk, was shot and injured by an "Israeli" sniper. "Israeli" flares were fired above the church during the night.
On 11 April 2002, a series of explosions were heard and black smoke was seen emanating from an area near the Church of the Nativity.

On 13 April 2002, at approximately 11:40 p.m., Hassan ‘Abdullah al-Nasman (26), from Jabalya refugee camp, a blacksmith working in Bethlehem, died following "Israeli" sniper fire. Earlier, the sniper had fired several live rounds from a rifle equipped with a silencer at Palestinians besieged inside the church. Two hit Al-Nasman in the chest. "Israeli" forces denied passage to medical personnel and al-Nasman bled to death. Wire services reported that "Israeli" forces took to psychological warfare in an effort to demoralize those holed up in the compound, and deployed a crane hoisting a speaker system emitting high pitch sounds over the Church of the Nativity compound.

On 15 April 2002, Dr. Mousa Abu Humeid, Director General of West Bank hospitals at the Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that Israeli forces deliberately prevented the medical evacuation of Tamer al-Kusba, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the abdomen four days earlier. Abu Humeid said that there were other patients in the Church of the Nativity who were badly in need of medical attention but Israel had not permitted any medical personnel to enter the church.

On 16 April 2002, "Israeli" occupation forces invaded the Star Hotel near the Church of the Nativity. More than 50 journalists who were reporting from the fifth floor of the hotel were warned against continuing as it may "endanger their lives." "Israeli" forces took this measure apparently to prevent media coverage of their attempts to break into the Church of the Nativity. Mousa al-Sha'er, a photographer of Agence France Presse (AFP) told PCHR that the situation was very dangerous since "Israeli" forces were heavily deployed in the area to monitor journalists. Smoke was seen during the day and flares fired at night in the region of the Nativity. A heavy gun battle was reported during an "Israeli" military operation in Bethlehem.

On 18 April 2002, smoke was seen billowing in the area of the Nativity.

On 20 April 2002, "Israeli" forces cut telephone lines into the church.

On 22 April 2002, intimidation of journalists continued. "Israeli" troops confiscated the "Israeli" government-issued press cards of 24 journalists and reporters in Bethlehem who were working for foreign televisions and press agencies. "Israeli" soldiers in a jeep stopped and surrounded the journalists, on their way to the Church of the Nativity. The journalists were forced to return to the Star Hotel. "Israeli" forces opened fire at the car of another journalist, Mohammed Mousa Manasra (52). According to Manasra, "Israeli" soldiers in the market area in the centre of Bethlehem fired several live bullets at his car, which was clearly marked as a press car. Manasra was traveling with his family but thankfully no casualties were reported. At approximately 7:30 p.m., "Israeli" forces opened fire with live ammunition and tear gas canisters at the Church of the Nativity, setting fire to one of the rooms.

On 28 April 2002, members of the International Solidarity Movement succeeded in reaching the front door of the Church of the Nativity with food. Catching the "Israeli" soldiers in Manger Square by surprise, they managed to leave the square without being arrested.

On 29 April 2002, an "Israeli" army sniper positioned on a building near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem fired at 29-year-old Nidal Isma'il ‘Ebayyat, from Bethlehem, who had been blocked inside the church for four weeks, killing him with a live bullet in the chest. ‘Ebayyat was a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
On 2 May 2002, at approximately 12:00 p.m., an "Israeli" sniper shot 21-year-old Ahmed Mohammed Abu ‘Aabed, a member of the Palestinian Military Intelligence from Khan Yunis, killing him inside the church with two live bullets in his chest and abdomen. Ten international activists, bearing packages of food, darted through Manger Square and entered the Church of the Nativity, stunning "Israeli" occupation army troops. 13 decoy activists were caught and detained by troops. US peace activist Larry Hales, who managed to get inside the Church, reported: "Unfortunately the situation inside is much worse than we anticipated. Most of the people are literally starving, having not eaten anything in the last five days, except for a few boiled leaves from a tree in the courtyard."

On 4 May 2002, an "Israeli" sniper shot and killed 40-year-old Khalaf Ahmed al-Najajra, from Nahalin village, with a live bullet in the chest, in a courtyard inside the compound of the Nativity. Danish peace activist Allan Lindgaard reported from inside the church that: "The "Israelis" are shooting at anything which moves in here. They shoot through the windows and at anyone going out to get food. The man that was killed was hit in the yard by a bullet which exploded inside his body. He just wanted to air his clothes."

On 10 May 2002, the siege ended, following a European-brokered deal that exiled 13 of those inside the church in European countries and another 26 to Gaza. "Israeli" troops stormed the church at 2:40 p.m. and arrested the ten international peace activists still there.

"Israel's" actions throughout the siege demonstrated nothing but indiscriminate violence and violation of human rights of those trapped inside and of the thousands of residents in the center of Bethlehem, who lived under a punitive curfew. The 5-week siege damaged residential, historic and religious buildings - both churches and mosques - and paralyzed the center of Bethlehem. It kept tens of thousands of Palestinians under curfew, and saw 7 people shot dead on one of the holiest sites to Christians worldwide.