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| Priests brawl in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity | Priests brawl in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| Scuffles have broken out between rival groups of Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics in a turf war at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. | Scuffles have broken out between rival groups of Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics in a turf war at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. |
| Bemused tourists looked on as about 100 priests fought with brooms while cleaning the church in preparation for Orthodox Christmas, on 7 January. | Bemused tourists looked on as about 100 priests fought with brooms while cleaning the church in preparation for Orthodox Christmas, on 7 January. |
| Palestinian police armed with batons and shields broke up the clashes. | Palestinian police armed with batons and shields broke up the clashes. |
| Groups of priests have clashed before in the church, built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born. | Groups of priests have clashed before in the church, built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born. |
| "It was a trivial problem that... occurs every year," Bethlehem police Lt-Col Khaled al-Tamimi told Reuters. | "It was a trivial problem that... occurs every year," Bethlehem police Lt-Col Khaled al-Tamimi told Reuters. |
| "No one was arrested because all those involved were men of God," he said. | "No one was arrested because all those involved were men of God," he said. |
| Nobody was seriously injured in the scuffles, according to the police. | Nobody was seriously injured in the scuffles, according to the police. |
| Previous clashes between the denominations which share the administration of the church have been sparked by perceived encroachments on one group's territory by another. | Previous clashes between the denominations which share the administration of the church have been sparked by perceived encroachments on one group's territory by another. |
| The 1,700-year-old church, one of the holiest sites in Christianity, is in a bad state of repair, largely because the priests cannot agree on who should pay for its upkeep. | The 1,700-year-old church, one of the holiest sites in Christianity, is in a bad state of repair, largely because the priests cannot agree on who should pay for its upkeep. |
| Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site where many Christians believe Jesus's body was taken after crucifixion, has also seen similar incidents. |