Ovenight fighting, tanks, Church standoff, daybreak
(21 Apr 2002) Nightshot 1. Wide shot parachute flares illuminate night sky over neighbourhood of Church of the Nativity Dayshots 2. Wide shot over area of Church of Nativity with AUDIO of explosion 3. Longshot tanks in the streets around Manger Square 4. Pullout to wide of area from Church of the Nativity 5. IDF Soldier patrols around the compound of the Church of the Nativity 6. Mid shot IDF armoured personnel carrier (APC) at street corner 7. Close up barbed wire road block ahead 8. Israeli soldier mans machine gun on top of APC 9. Wide shot APC 10. Interior of a Bethlehem church (NOTE not Church of Nativity), woman and girl praying 11. Wide shot frescoed walls 12. Various empty pews 13. Old man with stick walking on street 14. Israeli military vehicles and Church of Nativity in distance 15. Close up roof gunner on APC 16. Mid shot column of APCs parked 17. Wide shot IDF jeep drives down empty road between apartment blocks STORYLINE: Heavy firing filled the sky overnight Saturday to Sunday in the area immediately surrounding the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where a nearly three week old stand-off between Israeli forces and armed Palestinians is still going on. Israeli troops have not pulled back from their positions around the church despite having withdrawn over the last 24 hours from other places in the West Bank, such as Nablus and parts of Ramallah. Israel has said it won't leave Bethlehem completely until the end of a standoff that began April 2 between soldiers and armed Palestinians holed up in the Church of the Nativity, the church that lies over the site believed by many Christians to have been the birthplace of Jesus. More than 250 people, including clerics and many other non-combatants, are in the compound, surrounded by Israeli armour. Recents reports from inside the church say the food reserves for those trapped inside have run out. There is also no running water available. Israeli soldiers have been urging the armed Palestinians that are holding out to surrender, throwing leaflets into the holy site. The leaflets, written in Arabic and signed by the leadership of the Israeli Defense Forces, promised anyone unrelated to deadly attacks on Israel would be freed. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
