UPDATE:Bethlehem

May 5, 2002: The siege at Nativity Church continues: On the Holy day of Easter, the Nativity Church, the accepted birthplace of Jesus Christ, remains under siege. There are, and have been, conflicting reports in the media concerning the situation inide the church and the treatment of some of those inside. The ISM witnesses want to make clear that they have been given unhindered and unrestricted access to both the church complex and the people within. They absolutely refute allegations of hostage taking.
Some food arrives into the church this morning, however, this was no more than an IOF PR exercise. read more.....
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May 4, 2002: 23.30: Picture this - a Middle East Country is holding American citizens against their will in a prison and refuses to allow them access to legal representation, refuses to give them information as to what will happen to them and has been physically abusive during the detention process. If you responded "the US Marines would be heading over now", you are obviously thinking of any state OTHER than Israel. The above scenerio is currently going on with our US detainees. Hopefully the United States government will not continue to allow them to languish in prison!
23.00: A suposed bomb factory has been discovered by IDF forces inside the restricted area that they have been scouring for the last four weeks. We find it highly interesting that the IDF has searched every house in this area and yet never discovered what they describe as a "TNT Laboratory". This, coupled with our activists getting inside the church, does not leave one with a high opinion of IDF effectiveness. 16.30: Our people inside the church have reported on the damage due to recent firefights. In almost every case, glass from broken windows is INSIDE the church. This information, which we are documenting, shows that most gunfire was initiated by the IDF. Reports inside also indicate severe malnourishment due to Israeli refusal of any humanitarian aid deliveries. 12.00: A Palestinian father of eleven was fatally shot by Israeli snipers this morning as he was hanging clothes up near a window. He was shot in the lungs and died en route to the hospital. Also, some of the internationals who are being forcibly deported and held at seperate locations including men being held illegally in Hebron have announced that they are beginning a hunger strike to protest being denied access to legal representation as well as information as to their ultimate fate.
9.30: The fate of the detainees: Twelve internationals are being forcibly deported by Israel for attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians inside the Nativity Church. Some are being held at Ben Gurion airport, pending deportation later today. SInce their arrest they have been refusing food and water to protest the ongoing and escalating abuses of human rights by Israel.