Posted 5/28/2002 11:57:00 AM by Ocean Guy
Even though the story is a little old, the Palestinians' seizure of the Church of the Nativity deserves more attention.
This Honest Reporting article describes the extent of the planning and some of the reasons the Palestinians decided to move into the church when the IDF arrived in Bethlehem. The church compound was known to have enough food for 50 monks for two years and the deepest wells in the city.
Every time an incident like this comes to light, I am reminded that the conflict in the Middle East is, in fact, a Clash of Civilizations. The reporting seems especially irritating because the Western media purports Western values on the Islamic world, even though the World of Islam does not accept our values. Secular government is anathema to Islamic teaching. I'm not sure how that can reconcile with Western society. In the end either Islam must change or it must be defeated.