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CNN Live At Daybreak

Despite Some Escapes, Bethlehem Standoff Continues

Aired April 22, 2002 - 05:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli troops still surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem nearly three weeks since the standoff with Palestinians began. CNN's John Vause joins us live from Bethlehem with an update -- John, good morning.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

I want to give you some news about those ongoing negotiations. We understand that right now the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns is, in fact, meeting with the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. That's happening right now in Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah.

They're trying to work out some work out some way to bring this siege to an end, but there's been a snag. According to the Palestinians, the Israelis have stopped the aides to the Palestinian leader from attending that meeting. So now there's some doubt about what can actually be achieved as that meeting continues.

But we do know that overnight there was a number of Palestinians who managed to get out of the church. In fact, five Palestinian men in their 20's, they escaped from the church, quickly picked up by the Israeli soldiers, who surround the Church of the Nativity. They were handcuffed -- these pictures were supplied by the Israeli forces -- they were handcuffed, taken away in an ambulance, then checked up.

They were found to be in fairly good physical condition, especially considering the fact that they had been inside that church for a number of weeks now. And then they'll debrief by the Israelis. That's the Israeli word.

And because they weren't on that list of 30 wanted terrorists, these five men were questioned and allowed to go. Now they paint a fairly grim picture inside the church, confirming a number of reports to CNN from the clergy, who have actually been inside that church and have been in contact with people inside that church.

We also are being told that there are a number of children inside. At least two boys the age of 10 and dozens of other young children who spend their days in the grotto below the Basilica. That's the cave where Christians believe Jesus was born.

By all accounts, they're surviving on a cookie a day. The others are surviving on even less food. And that, by all accounts, the food that was there has run out.

All this while this siege of Bethlehem continues. A fairly desperate situation. Difficult times for the people of Bethlehem. But also extremely difficult for those who are very vulnerable in this situation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE (voice-over): The blaring noise of Israeli psychological warfare from loud speakers suspended by a crane of Manger Square, the Israelis were hoping these grating noises, combined with calls for surrender, would wear down the Palestinians inside. They didn't crack, but less than half a mile away at the West Bank's largest mental hospital, the noise took its toll.

DR. TARFIQ SALMAN, PSYCHIATRIST: The effect is nightmares, sleep disturbances and behavior disturbances, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), verbally and physically.

VAUSE: Two hundred patients are being treated at this hospital for everything from schizophrenia, depression and epilepsy. Cared for by a skeleton staff, because the curfew is stopping most of the doctors and nurses from getting to work.

The patients must now help themselves. And unless more food arrives, this will be their last meal. Virtually all that's left in the store room, two bags of rice, a few cans of tomatoes. And to make matters even worse, just as there is a need for more drugs, like tranquilizers and anti-depressants, there is a shortage because supplies can't make it from Ramallah.

(on camera): What happens when you run out?

SALMAN: It will have a disaster.

VAUSE (voice-over): They've tried to slow the disaster by giving out less medications, smaller doses to patients like Bilal Naszal, who is being treated for schizophrenia.

BILAL NASZAL, SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENT: For example, today I take one tablet. Formerly I had seven or eight tablets. Today, I took only one tablet.

VAUSE (on camera): In recent days, the Israelis have stopped playing the loud music, the sirens and the calls for surrender. And doctors here say that has helped. What is not helping, they say, is the constant sound of gunfire and explosions which echo across this city every night.

SALMAN: We, as normal people, we are stressed now. You can imagine a mentally ill patient.

VAUSE (voice-over): Doctors here say the patients don't really understand what's going on, why they have to be locked away in their buildings for days at a time. Like everyone else in Bethlehem, they want to walk free. Even if that freedom is within the confinements of the grounds of this hospital.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And, Carol, the residents of Bethlehem are now hoping that the curfew will be lifted again today. The last time they were allowed out of their homes was on Thursday. They were allowed out for a few hours. A chance to get some fresh fruit and vegetables and bread and to stock up. A chance for a bit of fresh air and sunlight. There's now hope that they'll be allowed out again today, but it will only be for a couple of hours -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, over the weekend, John, Shimon Peres said on one of the talk shows that the situation in the Church of the Nativity will be taken care of today or tomorrow. Is that really possible?

VAUSE: It certainly doesn't seem to be possible, certainly not from our viewpoint here. We've been here for about a week now and we've been keeping an eye on the church. It's only about -- well it's less than half a mile behind me.

And those negotiations, we've been speaking with a lot of people who are close to the negotiators, and basically they're negotiating about the negotiations. So they haven't even got to the stage of working out some kind of deal. The Israelis, as you know, put forward that offer, either be tried in Israel or be deported to a third country. That was completely dismissed by the Palestinians.

And now we've got this situation with the Assistant Secretary of State William Burns. He's trying to deal with the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. They're trying to deal with the Israelis.

There's also the clergy involved. There are a number of churches involved in all of this. It's a very, very complicated situation.

But from the Israeli standpoint, they've got time on their side. It seems to be this test of wills between the Palestinians inside the church and the Israelis who have surrounded the church right now. And the Israelis -- especially the Israeli soldiers and the commander who is in charge of this region, he's very content just to sit it out and let them wait, because they no time is on their side.

COSTELLO: That's right. Soon enough they'll get so hungry they'll come out. But then again, maybe they won't. Maybe they'd prefer the other alternative rather than to surrender. I don't know.

Thank you, John Vause, reporting live for us from the Middle East this morning.

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