I stumbled across this article linked to a libertarian website. It's an eyewitness account of the situation on Bethlehem.
http://www.hcef.org/news/news/newsvi...621&nType=News
This is the part I found interesting...
"There are more than 300 people inside the nativity church which is under siege for more than 18 days now. Among them are families with their children, priests, nuns and some security guards."
Most reports I've seen fail to mention any noncombatants other than the priests.