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CNN Live Today

Standoff Over, Israelis Withdraw from Manger Square

Aired May 10, 2002 - 12:01   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: And, again, as we mentioned, the situation in Bethlehem continues now. But that on again off again standoff is officially over. It needs a good scrubbing inside, but the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has survived 39 days in total. But, again, that standoff is now over.

The first people inside the church after the standoff talked about the damage a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... especially food matter. A lot of them wanted smokes. Some even had cold turkey after a while. A lot of walking so they won't go numb. And they were just anxious to -- at the end, anxious just to leave, to abandon the church.

QUESTION: But you were here the whole time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

QUESTION: How did you live? How did you manage everyday? What did you eat?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a very small supply for the four Greek Orthodox fathers that were upstairs in the top floor of the monastery. And we were able -- in the beginning, we weren't suspecting a war in Bethlehem, and nothing like this. So we always have stock. So we had five sacks of rice and a big sack of beans. We were able to supply the Palestinians for the first two, three weeks -- two weeks.

QUESTION: But you were running out of food yourselves by the end.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.

QUESTION: What have you eaten in the last few days?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't remember. I think it's water and something.

QUESTION: Were you afraid at any stage that the Israelis would come into the church?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe in the beginning, but then after that, well, I had full contact with the patriarchy, the Greek Orthodox patriarchy, and they assured me of the guarantee that Israeli's army would not enter the church.

QUESTION: How did the gunmen behave? Were you threatened to stay here, or was it your choice?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we were mostly scared of clumsiness, maybe, you know, something that would harm somebody, of clumsiness, silliness.

QUESTION: But you were never threatened by the gunmen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, never.

QUESTION: And how did they behave when they were in the church?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Comme ci, comme ca.

QUESTION: Did you feel at any point that they would try and stop you leaving did you feel like a hostage?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not at any point.

QUESTION: When you see the scene here today, how does it make you feel seeing the church in this condition?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, what I would probably say would be an advertisement for a product, for a clean product.

QUESTION: But just describe to me a little. Or maybe if you wouldn't mind, Father, you could just show me a little bit of what is behind us, just -- and tell me how it looks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, there were mostly parties, you know. There was the army, the police, the army group, the police group and different other groups. And each group had their own section in the basilica.

QUESTION: So who was sleeping here, for example?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won't say. One of the parties. One of the parties that was here. The other party was over there. The other party was just behind the baptismal font.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another party would be on the other side. The center would always be clear for walking, to walk.

QUESTION: So everybody slept more or less in here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

QUESTION: Because we were told that some people...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Close to the walls. QUESTION: ... that some people slept in the grotto, or no?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the beginning, but we asked them kindly to leave the grotto...

QUESTION: Not to...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... so we can do our services, morning services. And the next morning, they cleared it out.

QUESTION: So everybody, the gunmen, everybody was sleeping inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

QUESTION: And you had more than 120 people, I guess?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

QUESTION: Did you ever think that you would come out of this alive?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I have hopes and I pray a lot to God.

QUESTION: And after all this has happened here now in Bethlehem, how does it make you feel? Do you think the church can be returned to what it was?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even better, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: That is the scene a short time ago just off Manger Square inside the Church of the Nativity. There were in the Nave (ph) section, the main section of that church.

Mike Hanna is also nearby. He joins us live in Bethlehem. And, Mike, I understand there is more movement of a different kind right now in your location there -- good evening.

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Bill.

Well very much movement of a different kind. For the first time in 38 days the Israeli forces have withdrawn from Manger Square. For the first time in more than five weeks, we are able to stand right outside the door of the Church of the Nativity, the interior of what you've seen within the last five minutes.

As you can see, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Israeli army withdrew within the last half-hour from the Major Square area. People flooded in from Bethlehem. They've come down to the Church of the Nativity compound.

There you see the small door of humility, through which in the course of the morning the more than 100 people who were still inside that church emerged in a very orderly fashion. We're looking away as well at outside the church here, and this area has been a no man's land for a long period of time. And looking there at a sign which is for visitors to the Church of the Nativity when there were visitors, and that was a long time away indeed.

And given the recent circumstances, ironically enough, on that sign is the instruction: "No weapons to be taken inside this compound." Well, there were weapons. The Israeli defense force says that at least 90 weapons of various kinds were found after those within the compound had emerged.

They say, too, that they discovered a number of "booby traps and explosives," in their words. The Israeli defense force was invited in by the three orders who run this compound to look for any explosives that had been left behind. And an Israeli defense force spokesman says that 40 explosive devices were found. Among them, what he labeled "booby traps."

But at this stage, it does appear that those orders within the Church of the Nativity compound, the Franciscans, the Armenians and the Greek Orthodox, are now moving into their own areas, cleaning up the damage inside that you saw before. As you saw in that footage from inside, no really major damage apparent from those pictures.

However, from the outside here, there isn't a window that has not been broken. The gunfire, bullet holes, clearly in the walls. And, also, within the church, we are told -- within the compound -- the Franciscan Parish Hall has been very badly damaged in the fire that occurred a few weeks ago; a fire whose cause is still under dispute.

But given all of that, the end of the siege, the standoff that has taken place here for so long, is now over. The Israeli forces have moved away from Manger Square. Nearby residents are now flooding into the square. As I look out here, I can see cars, I can see taxis, I can see literally tens of Palestinians who have come in a way to reclaim the area that was a no man's land for so long.

So after 38 days, on the 38th day of this lengthy, lengthy siege, the standoff, the siege of Bethlehem is finally over, Bill.

HEMMER: Mike, three points to make. And just for the sake of our viewers, we're going to continue to role some of this videotape that came in not too long ago inside that church.

Three questions -- you touched on it, the monastery that apparently has some damage -- but what more are you learning about the pictures we're looking at here? That's the first point. Number two, there is no longer any curfew that exists in Bethlehem is the point you're making. And, number three, basic conversation with those living in the town. What have they told you about how they are feeling as of tonight?

HANNA: Well, number one, Bill, the damage that we saw inside the church from those pictures that we've been looking at, clearly no major structural damage. Certainly, to the Basilica area. That's the main area of the Church of the Nativity, the centerpiece, if you would, of the entire compound. What you see in there is signs of people having been in a confined space for a long period of time. The empty food tins that was brought on and off on an on again off again basis. The sleeping bags that were used by all of those who were gathered inside here. Well over 150 people were sleeping and living for 38 days in this particular area of the Church of the Nativity.

Secondly, as to the curfew, well the Israeli defense force has confirmed that it has moved from the Manger Square area. However, I still heard tanks moving around Bethlehem proper. There have been no announcements, no loud speakers saying that the curfew has been lifted; a curfew that has been enforced for most of the past 38 days.

However, it does seem that the residents of Bethlehem are taking their own course of action. And within this area, at least, they are emerging from their houses and gathering in Manger Square. But they are not, and it has not been confirmed yet, that the curfew proper has been lifted, or indeed that the Israeli withdrawal has been completed from the whole of Bethlehem.

So this situation still remains as it is at present. Those who have been inside the Church of the Nativity talk about the very difficult period of time they had within there. The Palestinians who we have spoken to, who have now emerged from their houses here, obviously a great delight. A great joy that this long ordeal is over but, at the same time, great anger and a demand from many here that the Israeli forces continue their withdrawal from this Manger Square area and out of Bethlehem. And one person said to me out of the entire West Bank as well -- back to you, Bill.

HEMMER: And, Mike, I'm almost out of time. The 10 peace activists, what is their state at this point?

HANNA: Well their state at this point, the last we heard, is that they were at a nearby Israeli police station. They were the last to come out of the Church of the Nativity. They were taken to a police station, deportation orders are being filed. And, according to the Israeli police, they will be deported, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Mike, thanks -- excellent report. Mike Hanna there in Manger Square right outside the door of humility in Bethlehem -- Mike, thanks to you.

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