HEAVY gunbattles raged overnight on Sunday in the West Bank town of Bethlehem in what the Israeli army said was an apparent attempt by Palestinian gunmen to take over an Israeli enclave there. Palestinians said the fighting broke out after soldiers and Jewish settlers attacked Muslim worshippers. The confrontation lasted for several hours, and at one point, Israeli helicopters aiming at Palestinian gunmen fired two rockets at the Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem, the army said. Twelve Palestinians were injured, including two who were in serious condition with gunshot wounds, Palestinian hospitals said. Tensions had risen in the Bethlehem area late Sunday when, according to the army, residents of the village of Hussan near Bethlehem threw firebombs at Israeli motorists driving along a nearby bypass road. An Israeli woman was slightly injured. – AFP