Plaid join Mid East peace mission

The siege of the Church of the Nativity may soon end

Plaid Cymru politicians have been meeting the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as part of a European peace mission to the Middle East.

Jill Evans and Eurig Wyn - the party's two Euro MPs - and Welsh Assembly member Geraint Davies were among a delegation which spent an hour with Mr Arafat at his headquarters in Ramallah on Thursday.

Yasser Arafat said he feared Israeli reprisals

The four day mission which ends on Sunday also includes meetings with Israeli MPs and a visit to the Jenin refugee camp.

Speaking to BBC Wales from Jerusalem, Ms Evans stressed the visitors were keen to hear about the concerns of ordinary people caught up in the violence.

"We're not just meeting other politicians ...we're meeting with local groups - voluntary groups, aid agencies and so on, " she said.

Retaliation expected

At the meeting in Ramallah, Mr Arafat spoke of his fears of an imminent Israeli attack on the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip.

He told the delegation he expected retaliation after a suicide bomber killed 15 people at a club in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon Letzion on Tuesday night.

Jill Evans wants Europe to help bring peace

Ms Evans said she and her fellow European politicians were anxious to do whatever they could to help bring about peace.

She said: "I think that we can take that message back.

"We can call on the United States, Russia and the European Union to emphasise just how desperately action is needed to bring about a peaceful settlement here."

Meanwhile in Bethlehem, an end to the stand-off at the Church of the Nativity appeared to be in sight on Thursday evening.

Alister Hillman was still trapped in the church

Alister Hillman, a 30-year-old student from Porthcawl, south Wales, was still one of around 200 people trapped inside the besieged building.

He was one of a group of international activists who last Thursday managed to break through the cordon of Israeli soldiers who have been surrounding the church compound in Manger Square for more than a month.

The campaigners had taken in rucksacks of food and medical aid, but supplies were dwindling again as the siege continued.