Church leaders in Taybeh, the last entirely Christian town in the West Bank, are sounding the alarm over a surge in settler violence they say is threatening their community’s survival.
In a July 8 statement, Fathers Daoud Khoury (Greek Orthodox), Jacques-Noble Abed (Melkite), and Bashar Fawadleh (Latin) denounced a series of recent attacks by Israeli settlers, including a July 7 arson near the fifth-century Church of St. George and a Christian cemetery. Residents managed to contain the fire before it reached the church, considered one of the oldest Christian sites in Palestine.
Appeal of the Clergy of Taybeh, recently attacked by Israeli settlers:
We, the priests of the three churches of Taybeh – the Greek Orthodox Church, the Latin Church, and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church – raise our voices on behalf of the people of our town and our parishioners… pic.twitter.com/kw8eHymwUm
— Fr. John Whiteford ☦️ 🇸🇴 公 公 (@frjohnwhiteford) July 9, 2025
The priests described “near-daily harassment,” including cattle being grazed on Taybeh’s farmland, damaging olive trees and disrupting local livelihoods. They report that illegal outposts have expanded on the eastern edge of the town, which encompasses most of its agricultural land, under apparent military protection.
Christian families from the Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank shared these photos of Israeli settlers storming their property, herding their cows through their land—and today, these settlers set fire to the St. George Monastery and the Christian cemetery. pic.twitter.com/fXFuegWt6b
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) July 8, 2025
“These assaults threaten the security of our town and the dignity of its people,” the priests said. “They aim to uproot us from our land.”
Repeated calls to Israeli police during the arson incident went unanswered, according to Father Fawadleh. He said residents are left to defend themselves, with settlers often carrying weapons.
Taybeh, a town of roughly 1,500 located about 10 miles from Jerusalem, has seen escalating settler pressure in recent months. The attacks come amid a broader uptick in West Bank settler violence, which advocacy groups say continues unchecked. According to ACLED, a global conflict-monitoring organization, such violence persists despite a general decline in Palestinian armed activity.
ACLED attributes the trend to a “culture of impunity” backed by Israeli policy changes, including ending administrative detention for settlers and protecting unauthorized outposts. These policies, ACLED warns, have emboldened extremists.
In late June, violence in Kafr Malik escalated after settlers attacked residents. Days later, settlers assaulted Israeli soldiers dismantling an outpost—an unusual development that drew condemnation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He did not, however, address violence against Palestinians, instead praising settlers’ contributions.
Church leaders in Taybeh have urged the Israeli government to launch a transparent investigation and called on international and ecclesial bodies to send observers. “We ask for help not because we are Christian Palestinians, but because we want to live in peace and justice in our land,” the priests wrote.
Sean Callahan, president of Catholic Relief Services, recently visited the region and confirmed rising insecurity and access restrictions. “Many communities are completely isolated,” he said, warning that humanitarian efforts are becoming more difficult.
Taybeh’s clergy warned that their town’s spiritual and cultural heritage is at risk. “This legacy, sustained for generations, is now in danger of being erased by systematic targeting of land, sacred sites, and people,” they said.
