The West Bank’s only Christian village has again become a flash point, with another attack by Israeli settlers.
For well over a year the village of Taybeh is reported to have been the target of frequent attacks by Israeli settlers, who locals say have vandalised the village, attempted to burn down the church, torched cars and have damaged olive groves by grazing their cattle and starting fires.
In August the IDF declared the village to be a “closed military zone” meaning that the town is off-limits to Israelis and foreigners. A spokesman for the IDF stated the move was made to “protect residents in the area" after "several violent attacks by Israelis in the region".
Despite this measure, a local parish priest told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, that settlers have continued to move freely in their area and continue their acts of violence and economic sabotage.
Christians in the region have long complained of a culture of impunity – while Israeli authorities denounce the attacks, no one has ever been punished for them.
In the latest episode masked Israeli settlers have reportedly been attacking and harassing the village in an attempt to disrupt the annual olive harvest – the economic heart of the village. This time, arrests have been made.
The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem have denounced the “heinous” attacks, which took place on 16 and 17 October.
“In the past weeks the Palestinian villages of the West Bank have been exposed to a wide-scale terror by settlers, which is reaching a peak during this time of the olive harvest, when families go to their lands to collect what they need to live and renew their generations-long bond with their lands," they said.
The attack, they said, was not an “isolated incident” and accused some Jewish leaders of encouraging the attacks by claiming that Israeli Jews are the legitimate owners of the land and therefore permitted to take olives from Palestinian-owned groves in the West Bank.
The patriarchs said that such a view was "unfounded, very worrying and dangerous, and absolutely unacceptable".
"We very much appreciate that several rabbis and Jewish voices have publicly rejected it," they said.
Following the arrest of some of the alleged culprits of the attacks, the patriarchs called upon Israeli authorities to demonstrate they are serious about preventing a recurrence of the violence.
“Unfortunately, the facts on the ground show that these attacks continue because of the impunity enjoyed by those who commit them," the patriarchs said.
"We recognise the action taken by the Israel Police and the arrests carried out following this attack, and we express our hope that this enforcement will continue in a serious and consistent manner and will not remain an isolated measure.
“We call upon the competent authorities to bring those responsible to justice, and we urge the international community to intensify its efforts to ensure the protection of the people of Taybeh and the West Bank, as well as all those who visit these areas to express their solidarity.”
