In the Center of the Siege

For five weeks, Palestinian gunmen occupied the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, surrounded by Israeli troops. The church, revered by Christians as marking the birthplace of Christ, became a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Israelis, seeking to end suicide bombings in Israel, demanded that the gunmen surrender. The Palestinians, cut off from supporters and outraged at the Israeli invasion, hunkered down behind the massive walls. Clergymen of the three Christian faiths that share the church also stayed through the ordeal. Carolyn Cole, a Times photographer, followed a group of Palestinian sympathizers as they slipped into the church eight days before the siege ended. These photographs document what she saw inside.