Report from Christian Peacemaker Team member, Bob Gross, brother-in-law to Beth Kurz-Costes, and second cousin to Tom Munk.

April 18, 2002.

As the news reports say, there are lots of people in the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square, Bethlehem, who have taken refuge there. There are about 230 people in all, of whom about 30-40 have guns. About 20 are injured. There are men, women and children, and old people. The soldiers have them surrounded, and are trying to get them to surrender. We were trying to take food and medicine to them, but were stopped by the Israeli Defense Force in a narrow alley. There were a dozen CPTers and about 15 others, from the FOR and from the International Solidarity Movement. Also,a member of the Danish Parliament, and some other Danes. I'll tell more of the story later, but we sang and read scripture and tried to connect with the soldiers personally, but nothing worked. We tried to push forward slowly, and they pushed back. We sat down then, and three women tried to go ahead, but they would not allow it. There were media cameras from CNN,

BBC, and others. After an hour or so, we backed up, and began giving food to people along that street, who had not been able to leave their homes at all, since that part of the town is in 24-hour curfew.

Now tonight everyone seems pretty tired, and of course we are still short of sleep, due to travel and jet lag. So I think we won't meet very long tonight.

As far as I know, we will go to Ramhalla tomorrow if it is possible to get in, to help with the cleanup after the destruction of the invasion. But if we can't go there, we might go visit Zoughbi to get some good information and analysis, and since he lives near manger square, just going there helps to keep the pressure on against the curfew.

It was strange when we entered Beit Jala and Bethlehem, because there was nothing moving on the streets and no one in sight. Only police, army, and ambulances, and news media. And international peace activists.

Bob