The Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, the Most Rev. Hosam Naoum, joined other senior Christian leaders in the Holy Land July 14 in a solidarity visit to Taybeh in the West Bank. The visit by the patriarchs and heads of churches follows increasing attacks on the Christian population in the village by radical Israeli settlers.
On July 8, settlers started fires in and around a Christian cemetery and set fire to the fifth-century Church of Saint George.
Taybeh is the only majority-Christian village in the West Bank. Located near Jerusalem and Ramallah, it is believed to be the site of the biblical town of Ophrah, sometimes called Ephraim.
After last week’s attack, the three priests in Taybeh—Fr. Daoud Khoury (Greek Orthodox), Fr. Jacques-Noble Abed (Melkite Greek Catholic Church), and Fr. Bashar Fawadleh (Latin Church)—issued a statement that the actions of the settlers go “beyond provocation.”
Speaking “on behalf of the people of our town and our parishioners,” the three church leaders said they “strongly condemn” what they described as “the ongoing and grave series of attacks targeting Taybeh.”
They added: “These assaults threaten the security and stability of our town and aim at undermining the dignity of its residents and the sanctity of its sacred land.
“Were it not for the vigilance of local residents and the swift intervention of firefighting teams, the damage could have been far more catastrophic. In a scene that has become provocatively routine, settlers continue to graze their cattle in Taybeh’s agricultural lands, including family-owned fields and areas near residential homes, without deterrence or intervention from the authorities.
“These violations go beyond provocation; they cause direct harm to olive trees—a vital source of livelihood for the people of Taybeh—and prevent farmers from accessing and cultivating their land.”
This attack was part of a series targeting Palestinian villages in the West Bank.
On July 11, a 20-year-old American-Palestinian, Sayfollah Musallet from Florida, was beaten to death during an attack by settlers in Sinjil in which a second man, 23-year-old Mohammed al-Shalabi, was killed after being shot in the chest.
In June, three Palestinians were shot dead in an attack by dozens of settlers on the West Bank town of Kafr Malik.
“The eastern area of Taybeh, which comprises more than half of the town’s territory and includes the bulk of its agricultural activity, has effectively become an open target for illegal settlement outposts that expand quietly under military protection,” the three local priests said. “These outposts serve as a base for further assaults on the land and its people.
“As priests, we bear a pastoral and moral responsibility toward our community. We cannot remain silent in the face of these relentless attacks that threaten our very existence on this land.”
The July 14 visit by patriarchs and heads of churches was made “in solidarity with the local community following an intensifying trend of systemic and targeted attacks against them and their presence,” the leaders said.
“We ask for the prayers, attention, and action of the world, particularly that of Christians globally. …
“Taybeh is the last remaining all-Christian town in the West Bank. These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community first and foremost, but also to the historic and religious heritage of our ancestors and holy sites.
“In the face of such threats, the greatest act of bravery is to continue to call this your home. We stand with you, we support your resilience, and you have our prayers.
“We give thanks for the local residents and firefighters for extinguishing the fire before our holy sites were destroyed, but we join voices with the local priests—Greek Orthodox, Latin, and Melkite Greek Catholic—issuing a clear plea for support in the face of repeated, systematic attacks from these radicals, which are only growing more frequent.”
The church leaders said settlers recently erected a billboard telling residents that “there is no future for you here.”
“The Church has had a faithful presence in this region for nearly 2,000 years,” they said. “We firmly reject this message of exclusion and reaffirm our commitment to a Holy Land that is a mosaic of different faiths, living peacefully together in dignity and safety.”
They have called on Israeli authorities to hold those responsible to account. “Even in times of war, sacred places must be protected. We call for an immediate and transparent investigation into why the Israeli police did not respond to emergency calls from the local community and why these abhorrent actions continue to go unpunished.
“The attacks by the hands of settlers against our community, which is living in peace, must stop, both here in Taybeh and elsewhere throughout the West Bank. This is clearly part of the systematic attacks against Christians that we see unfolding throughout the region.”
The patriarchs and heads of churches were joined on the solidarity visit by Issam al-Bdour, Jordan’s Ambassador to Palestine. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Theophilus III, read a statement by King Abdullah of Jordan that also condemned the recent attacks.
The Jordanian news agency Ammon reported that the King’s message said “the enormity of attacks, the settlers’ daily terrorizing of Palestinians, and systematic assaults against dozens of villages, cities, and refugee camps in the occupied Palestinian territories require a firm international response to halt the aggression, particularly the genocide against children, women, the elderly, and civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
Ammon said that King Abdullah called for the protection of unarmed Palestinians, their holy sites, and the right to live in freedom and dignity and establish their state on their national soil, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Gavin Drake is a writer, editor, and producer at Church Street Bureau, a small company providing writing, editorial, and videography services.
