Priests report Israeli settler fires near ancient church in Taybeh, West Bank, Palestinian Territories

Taybeh, a Palestinian village in the West Bank a few kilometers northeast of Jerusalem, is identified in the article as the ancient Ephraim named in the Gospel of John. The village has been home to a Christian community for two thousand years, and it is still entirely inhabited by Christian Arabs.

On Tuesday, July 8, Israeli settlers set several fires near the town cemetery and the 5th-century Church of St. George, one of the oldest religious sites in Palestine. The report was made by priests Daoud Khoury, Jacques-Noble Abed, and Bashar Fawdeh, who oversee the village’s three Christian communities: Greek Orthodox, Latin Catholic, and Greek Melkite.

In a joint statement written on behalf of the city’s people and parishioners, the priests described “a series of serious and repeated attacks” that they said threaten the city’s security and stability and affect “the dignity of its inhabitants and its holy sites.” They said that if residents had not been vigilant and firefighters had not intervened, “a major catastrophe would have occurred.”

The priests also said that settlers continue to graze cows on Taybeh’s farmland, among fields belonging to local families and even near their homes, without intervention or deterrence from the relevant authorities. They stated that the attacks directly damage olive trees, the main source of income for residents, and prevent farmers from reaching and cultivating their land. Protecting those who depend on the land for their living is a concern that Proverbs 31:8-9 speaks to.

According to the statement, the eastern part of the village, which covers more than half of the town’s territory and is where most agricultural activity takes place, “has become an open target for the illegal settlers, who are quietly expanding under the protection of the army and serving as a springboard for further attacks on the land and people.”

The priests appealed to local and international bodies, “especially diplomats and church representatives from around the world.” They called for “an immediate and transparent investigation into the arson attacks and the ongoing attacks on property, farmland, and holy sites.” They also asked for pressure on the occupying authorities to stop the settlers’ practices and to prevent them from entering the city’s farmland or grazing livestock there.

Source: Read the original report