Up to 100 Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic priests and monks swinging brooms clashed inside the Church of Nativity today in Bethlehem in a frenzied turf battle, the Associated Press reports.

Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics share the administration of the church, whick oftens leads to jurisdictional disputes.

The fighting broke out during cleaning of the West Bank church in preparation for Orthodox Christmas celebrations in early January, as each side jealously guards its territory.

Palestinian police, using batons and shields, were called in to break up the fighting inside the basilica.

"It was a trivial problem that ... occurs every year," police Lieutenant-Colonel Khaled al-Tamimi tells Reuters. "Everything is all right and things have returned to normal.

He tells the news agency that there were no arrests "because all those involved were men of God."