Bethlehem negotiations end in stalemate

The first direct negotiations to end the three-week stalemate in Bethlehem have ended without agreement.

Bethlehem mayor Hanna Nasser, who participated in the talks, said the two sides ended without a resolution but they have plans to meet again Wednesday.

Israel wants the 30 militiamen holed up inside the Church of the Nativity to be tried in Israeli courts or exiled but the Palestinians want to send them to the Gaza Strip under international escort.

Several dozen Palestinian civilians, as well as priests and nuns, are also in the church compound, site of the basilica built over Jesus' traditional birth grotto.

Those holed up in the compound have complained of deteriorating health conditions. Senior Israeli military officials have identified eight wanted suspects inside the church, including seven activists in Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militia affiliated with Yasser Arafat's Fatah organisation.