In an exclusive interview with the Mayor of Bethlehem City, Mr. Hanna Nasser asserted that Israeli allegations of Palestinians firing from Churches in Bethlehem to invite Israeli fire are false and objectionable. Mr. Nasser confirmed to the Palestine Media Center (PMC), “While Bethlehem residents were praying during the Sunday mass, Israeli occupation soldiers fired at the Church of Nativity. I visited the Church and saw the machinegun bullets scattered throughout the Church”.  In an exclusive interview with the Mayor of Bethlehem City, Mr. Hanna Nasser asserted that Israeli allegations of Palestinians firing from Churches in Bethlehem to invite Israeli fire are false and objectionable. Mr. Nasser confirmed to the Palestine Media Center (PMC), “While Bethlehem residents were praying during the Sunday mass, Israeli occupation soldiers fired at the Church of Nativity. I visited the Church and saw the machinegun bullets scattered throughout the Church”. 

The Bethlehem Mayor asserted that Israeli machinegun fire hit the Church of Nativity and that it came from any one of the numerous tanks now stationed on Bethlehem’s seven hills overlooking the holy site. He stated, “Their allegation that it was Palestinian fire is unquestionably false. Furthermore, the only party that controls the hills overlooking Manger Square and the Church are the occupying Israeli tanks”.

“We condemn this heinous act in the strongest terms and appeal to the international community to save Bethlehem from the unabated Israeli aggression. We have written the Vatican and numerous governments appealing to them to force Israel to withdraw from Bethlehem”, Mr. Nasser affirmed, concluding, “The invading Israeli troops have acted like the Tatars of earlier times. They invaded, burned homes, killed innocent civilians and terrorized the residents. So far, Israeli snipers, who are positioned on every high rooftop in the city, have murdered 15 civilians and injured at least 120 others. Bethlehem residents are terrorized to leave their homes. It is up to the international community to put an end to this campaign of terror”.