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CNN Live Today

Some Movement in Bethlehem Standoff Stalemate

Aired April 22, 2002 - 10:14   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Nearly three weeks after some 200 Palestinians took refuge in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, there are signs of movement in the stalemate. Church officials say that Yasser Arafat has given his approval for the Palestinians to negotiate with Israel and a third party.

Our John Vause has been covering the standoff and joins us from Bethlehem with the latest -- John, hello.

JOHN: VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. The details of that concession by Arafat goes something like this: For the last week or so, Yasser Arafat has been demanding the presence of the clergy in any negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The Israelis had objected to that. The Palestinians refused to budge.

At his headquarters in Ramallah a few hours ago, he met with the U.S. envoy here, William Burns. They discussed this issue for quite sometime. And Yasser Arafat dropped that demand for the clergy to be present at the discussions between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

So now, the way has been cleared. The negotiations for the negotiations are over, so the negotiations can now begin. So what we have is a situation that the Israelis can now sit down and meet with a five-man Palestinian negotiating team.

Now, to understand what the Israeli side of it and what they are offering, we have some audio, some sound from Mark Sofer. He is the spokesman from the Israeli government. He outlined what the government's position is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK SOFER, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: There is a compromise out to solve the problem in Bethlehem surrounding the Church of the Nativity, which will include perhaps one of two options. One option is that the people come out. Those who have had nothing to do with terrorism will be immediately freed. The others will have the choice either to be tried in Israel, or if so choose, to go to a third country and not to be tried in Israel. That is a possibility open for them as well.

Until now, they refused any type of compromise. We are hoping that they will accept it in the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Now, proof the Israelis say that they are going to keep their word last night, five Palestinian men emerged from the church. They were taken into custody by that very strong Israeli army presence around the church. They were handcuffed. They were taken away in an ambulance for a physical checkup. They are then questioned and debriefed, according the Israeli security forces. That's their words.

But because they were not on that list of 30 Palestinian terrorists that the Israelis say are holed up in this church, they were then let go. And that is basically the offer which is on the table from the Israelis. The Palestinians, for their part though, are rejecting that offer straight away.

So that is something which these two sides will be negotiating when they get together probably tomorrow.

Now, the conditions inside the church as described by those five Palestinians, it's a very grim situation, getting worse by the day by all accounts. There are still two dead bodies inside that church, as many as 10 people who have gunshot wounds. Many others are sick and getting sicker by the day. There is a shortage of food. What food was in there seems to have virtually all but run out. There is also a shortage of water and medicine.

We also know that there is some young children in there, at least two boys around the ages of 10, dozens of other children who spend their days in the cave below -- the negratta (ph) below the basilica, which is the cave where Christians believe Jesus was born. They are surviving on a cookie a day, according to some reports.

So a very grim situation. There is an urgent need for these negotiations to press on. There is now an expectation that these negotiations should begin tomorrow -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And what about any dead bodies? Are there people who were killed who are still inside of there?

VAUSE: Yes, Daryn. There are at least two dead bodies by all accounts still in the church, and that is presenting quite a dilemma for the monks who are still inside, because they do not want to bury these Muslim bodies on the church grounds. Because then it gets into a whole complicated issue of this being a ground burial for a Muslim martyr, where you have the birthplace of Christianity. It's a situation in which the Christian church is desperate to avoid.

So what they have done is that inside the church, they have fashioned a coffin, and they are storing these bodies inside these coffins inside the church. And it has been that way for quite a few days now, going on weeks.

KAGAN: Now, this situation could get even more complicated. John Vause reporting from Jerusalem -- thank you very much.

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