Arafat is barred from Bethlehem

JERUSALEM -- Israel has banned Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from attending Christmas Eve services in the West Bank town of Bethlehem this year, according to a government statement issued early Sunday.

The statement, from the Security Cabinet, charged that Arafat "is not acting to dismantle Palestinian terror groups or stop terror attacks against Israel."

On Saturday, Arafat had told reporters that he would attend the Christmas services in Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, with or without Israeli permission.

But he has been virtually trapped in the West Bank city of Ramallah since an Israeli air strike Dec. 3.