JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli troops shot a Palestinian gunman Sunday near Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. The army said the Palestinian, who later died of his wounds, was preparing to fire at soldiers.

In a related development, the Anti-Defamation League called on the Vatican to condemn the Palestinians' use of the church compound as a haven for gunmen. Some 200 Palestinian gunmen are believed to be inside the church, which Christian tradition considers the spot where Jesus was born.