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The following is a news item posted on CBC NEWS ONLINE at http://cbc.ca/news ____________________________________________________ ARAFAT BARRED FROM BETHLEHEM ON CHRISTMAS http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/view?/news/2001/12/22/arafat_011222 WebPosted Sat Dec 22 23:38:58 2001 JERUSALEM--Israel has ordered Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat to stay away from Christmas Eve services in Bethlehem this year. In a statement released early Sunday, the government's Security Cabinet accused Arafat of "not acting to dismantle Palestinian terror groups or stop terror attacks against Israel." On Saturday, Arafat announced plans to attend the annual religious ceremony in the town, considered by many to be the birthplace of Jesus. The Palestinian leader vowed to go with or without Israel's approval. It's not clear how Arafat could get to Bethlehem without help from Jewish leaders. He has been stuck in Ramallah since the beginning of the month, when Israel launched a series of military strikes in retaliation for a Palestinian suicide bombing that killed more than two dozen people. He no longer has a usable air strip, and Israeli tanks and troops guard all roads in the region. Ramallah is about 25 kilometres north of Bethlehem – two communities separated by the fortified city of Jerusalem. Bethlehem was put under Palestinian control several years ago as part of a tentative Mideast peace deal. Arafat, a Muslim, has attended Christmas Eve services in the town for the past six years. Many Palestinians mark Christmas as a kind of independence celebration since it falls only a few days after they won limited rule over some territory in the region. ____________________ Copyright © 2001 CBC All Rights Reserved http://cbc.ca/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
