Eyewitness: Bethlehem battle-scarred

From the top floor of the Star Hotel, the scene is spectacular - Bethlehem nestles in sun-dappled hills, its church spires set against a clear spring sky.

From the distance, the biblical city looks like a place at peace.

But sporadic gunfire crackles through deserted streets, along with the occasional burst of tank fire and loudspeaker calls by Israeli soldiers, demanding that the Palestinians holed up inside the Church of the Nativity surrender.

The siege of one of Christianity's most sacred sites is now entering its second week, with neither side backing down.

About 200 Palestinians, many of them armed, are still refusing to leave the Church of the Nativity, where a Palestinian policeman died in a gun-fight early on Monday. His body remains in the church.

The Israeli army says its soldiers have taken up several positions in Manger Square, but it is still refusing to pull back or to allow journalists to reach the area. Warning shots are fired at those who try.