In Bethlehem, an Israeli army ambulance removed Monday noon the body of a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades after an Israeli sniper shot him dead.
A Palestinian source said the man, identified as Nidal Abayat, 28, had been standing in the garden of the Church of the Nativity. An Israeli army spokesman said he had been armed.
Later, the Palestinian team negotiating an end to the siege at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity said there would be no more talks until Israel allows food in and stops shooting at Palestinians inside the building.
"We are freezing the negotiations in protest that they (the Israeli army) are not letting food in and because of their continued sniping at the besieged people," the head of the team, Salah al-Taamari, told AFP.
"Nobody will be coming out of the church tonight, mainly because of a dispute over food. The Israelis offered to provide 50 meals for the 180 people left. This is unacceptable," Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser told Reuters.
Earlier, a Palestinian holed up in the church said 15 civilians would leave the church Monday in a sign that a 26-day-old standoff with Israeli troops might be nearing an end.
The Palestinian told Reuters he and some 30 others wanted by Israel might agree to be exiled to end the crisis. "We will commit to any decisions taken by the president (Arafat) no matter how difficult they are," he told the news agency by telephone from the church.
About 30 Palestinian fighters wanted by Israel burst into the sanctuary on April 2 to hide from Israeli troops who had reoccupied the West Bank city in a sweep for militants.
"Fifteen people will be released today under the authorization of President Arafat and in agreement with the Americans and British," the Palestinian said. Dozens of Christian clerics and other civilians are trapped in the shrine.
Israel has said it will besiege the compound, one of Christianity's holiest sites, until the gunmen surrender to face trial in Israel or be exiled. Palestinian negotiators have said the Palestinians should be sent to the Gaza Strip. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
