Palestinians released from Church of the Nativity

 Everyone who was holed up inside the church has left, some to exile and some to their homes. Israeli troops are now leaving Manger Square outside the church, signaling the beginning of a troop pullout after 39 days of occupation.

 Under the deal ending the siege, 13 Palestinians named by Israel as terrorists were flown to Cyprus, which agreed to hold the men until European Union officials decide which European countries will accept them. Greece and Portugal have offered to take some of the exiles.

 Twenty-six other Palestinians, also wanted by Israel but considered less dangerous, were sent to the Gaza Strip, where they were welcomed as heroes. Palestinian officials say the men will not be jailed, and are now free in their homeland. More than 80 other civilians who were trapped in the church but not wanted by the Israelis were checked briefly and allowed to go free.

 Ten foreign peace activists who had slipped into the Bethlehem church during the siege initially stayed behind, refusing to leave - but Israeli police went inside and brought them out.

 President Bush says the end to the Bethlehem standoff is a positive development that should advance chances for the political process. About 200 people, including gunmen, took refuge in the church April 2 when Israeli forces invaded Bethlehem as part of a West Bank offensive launched after a string of Palestinian suicide bombings.

 As the siege dragged on, about 60 people left the church, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was born. Most were teenagers, wounded men or those who had become ill as food dwindled and sanitary conditions worsened. Israeli snipers killed eight others inside the compound.
 
 

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. 

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