How's THAT for a headline!  Kinda woke you up didn't it?
[size=4]ISRAELI TANKS ROLL INTO BETHLEHEM[/SIZE=4]

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) - In one of Israel's biggest incursions into Palestinian territory, the army sent tanks into biblical Bethlehem on Friday, commandeering two hotels for its troops as it stepped up pressure on the Palestinians following the assassination of an Israeli Cabinet minister.  
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Israeli forces have charged into several Palestinian areas in the West Bank over the past two days and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites)'s government has suspended contacts with Yasser Arafat (news - web sites)'s Palestinian Authority (news - web sites). The moves are part of a tough response to Wednesday's shooting death of Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi by members of a radical Palestinian group that is on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations.
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Israel sent 30 tanks and armored personnel carriers into Bethlehem and adjacent Beit Jalla before dawn Friday after Palestinian militants fired on a nearby Jewish neighborhood on the southern fringe of Jerusalem.
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Atef Abayat, the Bethlehem leader of the Tanzim militia, which is linked to Arafat's Fatah (news - web sites) movement, was killed along with two other militiamen in an explosion Thursday in his newly acquired sport utility vehicle.

The Palestinians blamed Israel for the blast. The Israelis, who have carried out dozens of targeted attacks against Palestinian militants, had Abayat near the top of their wanted list, accusing him in several fatal shootings of Israelis. However, Israel refused to say if it was responsible for the explosion.

Within an hour of the blast, Palestinian gunmen opened fire Thursday night on the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, built on land Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War. Several hours later, the Israeli tanks rolled into Bethlehem and Beit Jalla to stop the shooting.

Bethlehem, a town heavily dependent on foreign tourists, has been badly hit by the fighting and many hotels have been shut for months for lack of business. The Israeli troops took over two empty hotels - the Paradise and the luxury Inter-Continental - placing tanks in front, soldiers inside and snipers on the roofs, witnesses said.

Soldiers and Palestinians exchanged gunfire Friday, while youths threw stones, burned tires and pushed trash bins into the street in an attempt to block the Israeli advance. Three Palestinians were killed in the Bethlehem area. One of the victims was a 28-year-old woman, hit in her home by what appeared to be a stray bullet, Palestinian officials said. Israel's army said it was checking the reports.

Three Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously, the army said.
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Israeli forces have entered Palestinian territory on many occasions during the Mideast fighting, but only rarely have they stayed for more than a few hours. The Israeli positions at the hotels suggested the Israelis could be preparing for an indefinite stay.

See remainder of story at:
[url]http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011019/ts/israel_palestinians_1839.html[/url]

Gee, US Troops on the ground in the East, Jews rumbling tanks into the City of David, it just doesn't get any better than this for fundamentalist Christians!

Eric The(I'mTemptedToOpenMyBottleOf'DemonRum')Hun[>]:)]

I'm sure this is true, I'm just flabbergasted that the big news sites don't have anything on this!

Especially since I work for one of them!  [:(!]

And the "fun" is only just getting started!  Look at all the other stuff yet to happen.[IMG]http://www.theunholytrinity.org/cracks_smileys/contrib/blackeye/Eyecrazy.gif[/IMG]

Israeli tank commander: "Let's Roll"

Here's the Pope's response to this event, from [i]The Jerusalem Post[/i]:[url]http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/10/21/LatestNews/LatestNews.36634.html[/url]

Eric The(Yeah,Let'sGet[u]Him[/u]Involved,Too!)Hun[>]:)]

Well, I already suggested 'Fracas in Bethlehem' so I've run slap outta ideas!

The Americans only lost 12 men in the 'Battle of New Orleans'![:D]

Eric The(SeeHowHistoryCanBeMisleading!)Hun[>]:)]

No Sir! I'm hyperbolic at all times.

Eric The(WhenTheSubjectIs'TheHolyLand')Hun[>]:)]