Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., December 24, 2007 Tevet 15, 5768 | | Israel Time: 13:27 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File Hanukkah

Christians praying inside the Grotto, at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Sunday. (AP) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 07:39 24/12/2007 Fayyad's police take over as Bethlehem becomes latest city in PA security drive By Yuval Azoulay and Irit Rosenblum, Haaretz Correspondents and Reuters Tags: Bethlehem, Christmas  Hundreds of Palestinian security officers deployed in Bethlehem on Sunday as Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's forces continue their drive to take charge of West Bank cities. Five hundred new security officers moved into Bethlehem on Sunday to beef up a force of about 1,000 men already based in the city, a Palestinian security source told Reuters. It was the third such deployment since November by hundreds of officers loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank, where his forces have already taken control in the cities of Nablus and Tul Karm. Advertisement Abbas' government has stepped up a crackdown on gunmen by deploying hundreds of men in an effort to exert power in the West Bank and bolster him against Islamist Hamas which seized the Gaza Strip and routed his Fatah forces in violent clashes in June. "We are trying to see an Israeli withdrawal from Bethlehem... the presence of the Palestinian security forces aims to maintain the rule of law and this is part of our security plan," Fayyad said when announcing the deployment. "Our forces in Bethlehem... are here to stay. It is not a temporary campaign," he added. Israel, which is backing the security push, hopes it will help Abbas and his secular Fatah-backed government rein in militants - a step Israel has demanded after the two sides launched formal peace talks last month. Fayyad said that the eventual plan was for Palestinian forces to take security control of all West Bank towns and cities. Residents said some 20 new police vehicles could be seen on the city's streets and policemen were manning main intersections in the city, revered as the birthplace of Jesus. Israel seized control of West Bank cities handed over to the Palestinian Authority under the 1993 interim Oslo peace deal after the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in 2000, and has since barred armed security forces from operating in the cities. When Palestinian security men deployed in Nablus in November it was the first time their forces were allowed to operate armed in the West Bank since 2002. Pilgrims to get quick entry into Bethlehem The Defense Ministry several days ago started setting up a special passage into Bethlehem for Christian pilgrims before and during Christmas, after Tony Blair, the Quartet's special envoy to the Middle East, made a special request. Blair raised the issue during his last meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak. He said that due to the careful security checks at the checkpoint leading to Bethlehem, pilgrims are subject to long lines when entering the West Bank city. The new passage is being erected on the site of the old checkpoint, and will be open to Christian pilgrims only. Palestinians wishing to enter Bethlehem will have to use the current checkpoint. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend Christmas mass in Bethlehem, and the Tourism Ministry is coordinating with both its Palestinian counterpart and the security services in an effort to ensure they can get there and back easily. To facilitate this effort, the ministry plans to run a regular bus service to the crossing point near Bethlehem from noon on Monday, December 24 through noon on Tuesday, December 25. The buses will leave every half hour from the Mar Elias Monastery, located between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The ministry also will post extra staffers at the crossing. Altogether, about 1 million Christian tourists are expected to visit Israel this year, an increase of 30 percent over 2006. About half of them are believed to be pilgrims. Bookmark to del.icio.us Christmas blues Gazan Christians keep low profile during Christmas after activist slain. Absent voice An Israeli think tank says Israeli Arabs should take part in negotiations with PA.   1.   Mother Rachel is crying... 23:11  |  Max 23/12/07   2.   Abbas and PA quizlings to zion`s occupation 23:36  |  not impressed 23/12/07   3.   Haaretz swooned by terrorists..calls them "officers" 00:55  |  SLAVO 24/12/07   4.   SO OLMERT`S ANSWER TO BEING BOMBED IS TO BRING THE ENEMY ARMY... 01:44  |  Alon chiloni 24/12/07   5.   At last some common sense. 02:21  |  Bob 24/12/07   6.   incomplete... 02:31  |  Teresa-Maria (Tess) 24/12/07   7.   PA and Bethelhem...more church pillage?? 02:42  |  EGW 24/12/07   8.   Tess...You can bet your sweet hiney he didn`t 04:12  |  Lynn 24/12/07   9.   Its like a border 08:35  |  Antony 24/12/07   10.   Fayyad`s police??? 10:37  |  Curious 24/12/07   11.   Does that means Israel IDF will stay out? 12:54  |  El-Birawi 24/12/07   12.   To Max 12:56  |  Abraham 24/12/07   13.   # 3, Haaretz is right. They are "Officers"! 13:09  |  Stephen. 24/12/07

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