Jerusalem, Dec 15: Israel will not allow Palestinian authority chairman Yasser Arafat to travel to Bethlehem to attend the midnight mass, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said today.
Sharon told a government meeting, after consulting his security agencies, that Arafat would not be allowed into Bethlehem on December 25 and Israeli army would continue its presence there to ensure security.
Christmas celebrations would, however, be allowed to be held, chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon was quoted by `Ha'aretz' newspaper as saying.
Last Christmas too Israel had prevented Arafat from travelling to Bethlehem, a Palestinian town that is roughly half-Christian and half-Muslim and the move had invited international criticism.
Arafat has largely remained confined to his compound in the west bank city of Ramallah since last December after Israel put tight restrictions on his movements.
The decision to continue army presence in Bethlehem has apparently come in the wake of Israel's security agencies continuing to receive warnings about possible Palestinian attacks.
During a discussion in the Vatican last week, president Moshe Katsav had told Pope John Paul II that Israel would make every effort to withdraw from Bethlehem before the Christmas holiday.
Israel has maintained army presence in Bethlehem and other west bank cities for most of the past six months to prevent Palestinian attacks against the Jewish state.
Bureau Report
