Priests in the last remaining Christian town in the West Bank have called for an "immediate and transparent investigation" following a series of alleged attacks by Jewish settlers in Taybeh, including a fire set near an ancient Christian cemetery and the ruins of the Church of St. George.
In a statement shared this week by Independent Catholic News, the heads of the Greek Orthodox Church, Latin Church and Melkite Greek Catholic Church stated that the 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."
The three priests — Father Dawood Khoury, Father Jacques-Noble Abed and Father Bishara Fawaz — condemned the fires set near Taybeh's cemetery and the church, an event that occurred on July 7.
The Church of St. George dates back to the fifth century. In their joint statement, the religious leaders praised the local residents and firefighting teams for intervening before the damage could become more "catastrophic."
The priests accused Israeli settlers of damaging the town's source of livelihood by allowing their cattle to graze in Taybeh's agricultural lands, including on family-owned fields and near residential homes, harming olive trees and preventing farmers from cultivating their land.
They also stated that 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," adding that the 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 religious leaders stated. "Taybeh — known in the Gospel as 'Ephraim,' the place to which Jesus withdrew before His Passion (John 11:54) — is the last remaining entirely Christian town in the West Bank."
Luke Moon, the executive director of The Philos Project, a nonprofit advocacy organization that educates Christians about the Middle East, referred to the reports of arson near the Christian Church in Taybeh as "disturbing."
"This followed reports of arson near the settlement of Efrat and other incidents. Too often, particularly when it comes to events in Israel, only one side of the story is told," Moon said in a statement to The Christian Post.
"The reality on the ground is more complicated," Moon continued. "Many Israeli leaders have spoken out against the recent violence by a few settler youth. I keep waiting for Palestinian leaders to do the same."
In May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the arrest of multiple suspects accused of arson related to wildfires in the foothills outside of Jerusalem that spread across more than 5,000 acres.
At the time, multiple Palestinian social media accounts called on people to set fire to Israeli property. One post shared on social media even vowed: "The settlers' houses will be reduced to ashes under the feet of the revolutionaries."
While a Hamas Political Bureau member denied that the terror group had any involvement, it didn't deny the possibility of using arson as a tactic in the ongoing war with Israel.
The calls for arson coincided with Israel's military operations in Gaza following the Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the abduction of over 240 others. The Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry has reported that over 57,000 people have died since the start of the war, a figure that doesn't differentiate between combatants and civilians.
The Taybeh priests called on local and international actors to launch an investigation into the arson and assaults on agricultural land and holy sites. They also called for the application of diplomatic pressure to halt settler actions and prevent them from grazing in Taybeh's lands.
Other solutions include dispatching international and church delegations to conduct field visits and report on any damages. In their last call to action, the priests requested legal accompaniment to help the people of Taybeh "through economic and agricultural initiatives" and "strengthen their resilience."
"We believe that the Holy Land cannot remain alive without its indigenous people. Forcibly removing farmers from their land, threatening their churches, and encircling their towns is a wound to the living heart of this nation," the priests concluded. "Yet we remain steadfast in our shared faith and hope — that truth and justice will ultimately prevail."
