Arafat vows to defy Bethlehem ban

Yasser Arafat is vowing to defy an Israeli order barring him from Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem.

He claims he will make his annual pilgrimage to Jesus' birthplace even if he has to walk to the stone plaza in Manger Square.

Mr Arafat and the Israelis appear to be heading for a showdown on Christmas night as Israel banned him from attending a religious service in a city which is under Palestinian control.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Security Cabinet voted 8-6 to restrict Yasser Arafat, saying he had failed to dismantle Palestinian terror groups or stop terror attacks against Israel.

Mr Arafat, who has effectively been confined to the West Bank town of Ramallah in recent weeks, said, "no one has the right to prevent us from fulfilling our duty to God, despite all kinds of weapons and M-16s that (the Israelis) have."

Ramallah and Bethlehem are only 12 miles apart. The PLO leader says he is prepared to make the journey on foot, an unlikely trip that would take him past Israeli tanks and troops blocking the roads leading in and out of both towns.

There are indications, however, of ongoing contacts involving Western diplomats in an attempt to work out a compromise.

Arafat has attended Christmas Eve festivities in Bethlehem every year since 1995, when the town was turned over to the Palestinian Authority.