Taybeh, West Bank, Faces Fourth Threatened Olive Harvest as Settlers Pick Fruit From Village Groves

Taybeh, described in reports as the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, faces a threatened olive harvest for the fourth time, according to Indian Catholic News. Reports differ on the village’s population: one describes approximately 1,200 residents remaining, and another does not give a figure. Father Bashar Fawadleh, the parish priest, is identified as the Latin parish priest in one report and as parish priest of Christ the Redeemer in another.

In July 2025, according to EWTN News, settlers set fire to areas near the St. George Church ruins and painted hateful graffiti. The same report says new incursions by Israeli settlers have since targeted areas near the village’s quarry and cement factory. Fawadleh said the lands are private property belonging to the people of Taybeh and called the actions a violation of international law. He described the situation as a threat to a community that has been present in the region for over 2,000 years.

Indian Catholic News reports that since October 4, 2026, settlers have been entering olive groves belonging to Taybeh residents and picking the fruit. The area is under a declared military closure, which the report says was intended to protect residents and prevent attacks. Landowners are unable to reach their own groves, while others can move through the same land and harvest its fruit. The report notes that Taybeh has more than 16,000 dunums of olive trees.

The report describes the consequences for families and the wider community. Families who own hundreds of olive trees may be forced to buy olive oil for their homes. The loss affects seasonal income and the local supply of olive oil at a time when living costs continue to rise. Here the community’s concern is practical as well as spiritual: residents need access to their land to provide for their households, a need that calls to mind the duty to protect the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).

Taybeh’s Christian leaders have urged Israeli authorities to take immediate action and have appealed to the global community, according to EWTN News. Indian Catholic News reports that the village is asking for the ability to reach its land, harvest olives safely, and return home with the fruit.

Infovaticana, citing Father Fawadleh’s remarks to Vatican News, reports that residents feel forgotten and alone. The priest has called for the intervention of Pope Leo XIV.