Stun grenades, white smoke near Church of the Nativity

BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Large clouds of white smoke, apparently released by Israeli tanks, rose near the besieged Church of the Nativity on Monday, and witnesses said Israeli troops sporadically fired stun grenades in the area. <br> <br> The army did not comment on the activity in the area of Manger Square. Israeli military officials said that soldiers demolished an explosives lab in Bethlehem with a controlled explosion, but that it was not in the Manger Square area. <br> <br> Mazen Hussein, a Palestinian policeman inside the church, said Israeli troops did not try to enter the church compound which has been ringed by soldiers since April 2, with more than 200 armed Palestinians holed up inside. <br> <br> Negotiations on the fate of the gunmen have failed so far. Israel&#39;s most recent offer was that wanted men in the church stand trial in Israel or go into permanent exile. The church, one of Christianity&#39;s holiest shrine, is built over Jesus&#39; traditional birthplace. <br> <br>