Church leaders denounced new violent attacks on the last all-Christian town in the West Bank.
Extremist settlers entered the Palestinian town of Taybeh, to the east of Ramallah, on 28 July torching cars and spraying hostile graffiti.
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches put out a statement yesterday (29 July) expressing their “profound concern” over what they say are recurring incidents. They said: “Several vehicles were set ablaze, and hateful graffiti was sprayed – an unambiguous act of intimidation directed at a peaceful and faithful community rooted in the land of Christ.”
Extremists torched the walls of the fifth-century Church of St George on the eastern outskirts of the town, which was also attacked on 7 July by extremist settlers.
They added: “This grievous incident is not an isolated occurrence. It forms part of an alarming pattern of settler violence against West Bank communities, including their homes, sacred spaces and ways of life. Only days ago, settlers forcibly entered Taybeh, herding livestock into the heart of the town. Masked individuals – some armed, others on horseback – roamed the streets, spreading terror and threatening the sanctity of daily life. Fire reached the very walls of the ancient church, a living testament to the Christian faith’s enduring presence in the Holy Land.”
They said official police statements described the attacks as “property damage” thus “omitting the broader context of systematic intimidation and abuse”.
They added: “We are gravely troubled by the prevailing climate of impunity, which undermines the rule of law and jeopardises peaceful coexistence in the land of the Resurrection. The lack of accountability not only threatens Christian communities but also weakens the moral and legal foundations that uphold peace and justice for all.”
On Monday, 7 July 2025, 10 extremist settlers from nearby settlements intentionally set a fire near the town’s cemetery and the Church of St George.
Taybeh’s Roman Catholic parish priest Father Bashar Fawadleh told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on 14 July: “We were very surprised when more than ten armed settlers attacked the very holy and important church of St George, or Al-Khadr, as we say in Arabic. They lit a fire beside the church, which dates back to the fifth century, and behind the cemetery. We were shocked, but more than 20 young people rushed with me to the site and managed to extinguish the fire, while they just stood by and watched.”
He said there had been growing problems with the extremist settlers in the run up to recent violence and at least 10 Christian families have left since it started.
By Nathalie Raffray.
