Israel is ready to use military force against the besieged Church of the Nativity if negotiations fail to evacuate about 200 Palestinian gunmen holed up inside, an army spokesman warned today.
Captain Joe Leyden refused to comment on the status of negotiations launched Tuesday to end the 25-day-old Israeli siege around the complex that marks the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
But he told a press conference that the situation "is not open-ended" and "if we have to exercise a military option, we will
The Vatican has been in constant contact with the Israeli authorities since the siege began on April 2 and insists on "respect for the integrity of holy sites as an absolute priority."
Israel has refused Vatican appeals to end the siege but pledged not to "violate the sanctity" of one of Christianity's holiest sites.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army today freed eight of nine young Palestinians detained after they were allowed out of church a day earlier, a Palestinian official said.
But Fuad al-Laham, 19, was handed over to Israel's domestic security agency Shin Beth for further questioning, said Salah al-Taamari, the chief Palestinian negotiator in talks to end the siege.
Taamari had earlier complained that the Israelis were "reneging on a commitment to release the youths without hindrance" and threatened to suspend further talks unless they were freed.
The nine Palestinians, aged between 14 and 20, quit the church yesterday afternoon, accompanying the bodies of two men killed by gunfire.
They were questioned on their possible participation in any anti-Israeli attacks and on the situation inside the church, where the Palestinian gunmen have been holed up.
The exit of the youths and two monks who left earlier was one of the few tangible results of the four rounds of talks to end the siege, which has been baptised "Operation New Nativity," according to an Israeli daily.
Taamari said he had received Israeli authorisation to visit Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in his besieged base in the town of Ramallah to brief him tomorrow on negotiations.
He had hoped to travel to Ramallah with European diplomat Alister Cook but the Briton had not yet received the green light from the Israelis, Taamari said.
There were no negotiations for resolving the standoff scheduled for today, Taamari said.
The Palestinians want the European Union to act as guarantor for any agreement to evacuate the basilica, where Israel says about 30 wanted Palestinian militants are hiding.