April 11, 2002
Embassy Briefing

The Palestinians Sacrilegious Hijacking of the Church of the Nativity

The Church of the Nativity has become a bastion of Moslem `holy warriors.' On April 2, 2002, approximately two hundred Palestinians, many of them known terrorists, shot down the front door of the Church of the Nativity and have taken up positions in one of Christianity’s most sacred sites. This type of behavior not only constitutes a desecration of holy sites and displays scorn for those of Christian faith, but is also in violation of international law.

The Government of Israel is committed to safety of clergy held hostage inside the church by Palestinian terrorists and the church itself. Israel Defense Forces have been ordered not to fire upon or violate the sanctity of this holy shrine, even if they are fired upon from these sites.

The Palestinians have hijacked the Church of the Nativity precisely because they know that the Israeli army will not fire upon the church. This was true even when two Israeli border-policemen were wounded by Palestinian gunmen who opened fire from the Church of the Nativity compound and threw hand grenades at Israeli soldiers in the area of Manger Square.

While operations are being conducted in its vicinity, the Church has remained unaffected, despite the confirmed presence of armed Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Tanzim terrorists inside the sanctuary.

• Details Concerning Senior Palestinian Terrorists in the Church of Nativity

Moshe Fox
Minister of Public Affairs
Embassy of Israel, Washington DC