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the siege of bethlehem
Inside the secret negotiations, strategies and maneuvers between Israelis and Palestinians during the deadly 38-day standoff at the Church of the Nativity
photo of an israeli sniper
introduction
chronology of the siege

A day by day account of the confrontation.

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Your thoughts on this report? Can the peace process be restarted?

producer's chat
related FRONTLINE report: Battle for the Holy Land
links & readingstapes & transcriptspress reactioncreditsprivacy policy

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introduction + chronology of the siege + discussion + links & readings
producer's chat + tapes & transcripts + press reaction + credits + privacy policy
FRONTLINE + wgbh + pbsi

photograph © 2002 reuters newmedia, inc./corbis
web site copyright WGBH educational foundation

The Siege of Bethlehem

On April 2, as Israeli tanks rolled into Bethlehem, some 200 Palestinians - many of them armed - stormed into the fabled Church of the Nativity. They remained there for 39 days, as the standoff between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants at one of the world's most revered holy sites kept the world transfixed. In "The Seige of Bethlehem," FRONTLINE takes viewers inside the siege at the Church of the Nativity. With unprecedented inside access to key figures on both sides of the standoff, FRONTLINE reveals the secret negotiations, strategies, gambits, and maneuvers employed throughout the siege, as the combatants sought to maintain the delicate balance between diplomatic persuasion and military might.

published june 2002

 

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