AIDA REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) - Palestinians in a refugee camp near Bethlehem want to receive Pope Benedict next to the cement wall that separates Israel from the West Bank.

They're building an outdoor theater next to the wall for the pope's visit on May 13.

But the Israeli government has ordered the construction to stop, saying camp organizers lack the necessary permits and that the theater's proximity to the wall poses a security risk.

The Palestinian governor of the Bethlehem district responds that they're "determined to receive the pope in this place because it encapsulates Palestinian suffering."

Israel started building the separation barrier in the West Bank in 2002, portraying it as a defense against Palestinian gunmen and suicide bombers. Palestinians have denounced it as a land grab, since the barrier slices off about 10 percent of the West Bank, land the Palestinians seek for their future state.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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