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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 10, 2002

President's Statement on Church of the Nativity Standoff
Statement by the President on the Church of the Nativity

I am pleased by the nonviolent end to the standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Like the resolution to the situation in Ramallah, the positive result in Bethlehem was achieved through the efforts of a number of individuals and governments. In particular, I appreciate the efforts of personnel at our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem, which were critical to the outcome, and the work of the European Union.

The end of the standoff in Bethlehem is a positive development that removes an obstacle to restoring security cooperation between the parties and should advance the prospects for resuming a political process toward peace. As I said on April 4th, this can only happen if all parties assume their responsibilities for fighting terror and promoting peace.

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