December 16, 2002	Monday	Shawwal 11, 1423

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TEL AVIV, Dec 15: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Sunday Yasser Arafat would be banned from attending midnight mass in Israeli-occupied Bethlehem for a second Christmas in a row,

“Mr Sharon said during the weekly cabinet meeting that the Israeli army will stay in Bethlehem during the Christmas celebrations to ensure security, and that it would not permit Yasser Arafat to take part in the religious ceremonies,” a senior Israeli official said.

“We will do everything to ensure the religious freedom of the Christians who head to Bethlehem,” he added.

Last Christmas, the Palestinian leader, who had been trapped by Israel for weeks in the central West Bank town of Ramallah, was banned from travelling to Bethlehem for the midnight mass on Dec 24 held in the church marking the birth site of Jesus.

He had previously attended the mass every year since 1995 when his Palestinian Authority, set up a year earlier, took control of Bethlehem, just south of Al Quds.

The Palestinians responded angrily to Sharon’s words.

“Israel’s behaviour ... is stupid and a provocation to the Palestinian people, as well as being a challenge to international law,” said Arafat adviser Nabil Abu Rudeina.

The latest Bethlehem reoccupation, which quashed a three-month security agreement between the two sides, came on Nov 22 in response to a deadly suicide bombing launched from the city.

The senior Israeli official said “there is no reason to allow Yasser Arafat to take part in a ceremony symbolizing peace and reconciliation when he has done nothing against terrorism and has only brought catastrophe to Christian Palestinians”.

Three arrested: Israeli authorities said on Sunday that three Palestinians living in the eastern sector of occupied Al Quds had been arrested on charges of plotting attacks, including one to shoot down Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s helicopter.

The three were planning a missile attack on Sharon’s helicopter at the helipad outside his office, legal sources said.

They were also charged with plotting bombing and shooting attacks against civilian targets and of belonging to the radical Palestinian movement, Islamic Jihad.

The three men were named as Omar Atrash, Hadr Abu Hadr and Zyad Atrash, all from the district of Tzur Bacher, and all equipped with Israeli identity cards, as is the case with Palestinian residents.

They were arrested several weeks ago by the Israeli internal security service, Shin Beth, but their detention was kept under wraps until Sunday.

Separately, a military source said soldiers had arrested two Palestinians wanted for belonging to Islamic Jihad, in possession of explosives at a military check point north of Al Quds.

Preliminary indications said the men who were arrested in a taxi were planning to carry out an attack, the source added.

Five other Palestinians riding in the taxi were detained for questioning.—AFP