The leaders of the major Christian Churches in the Holy Land are urgently calling for accountability after weeks of violent attacks on Taybeh — the last fully Christian town in the region — by radical Israeli settlers. They are questioning the silence and inaction of the Israeli authorities as the town’s families, heritage, and sacred sites come under siege.
Located in the West Bank, Taybeh is a village of deep historical and spiritual significance. Its church of Saint George, known locally as Al-Khadr, dates back to the fifth century. Yet even this holy site has not been spared.
In June, over 10 armed settlers attempted to set fire to the ancient church, according to Fr. Bashar Fawadleh, the Latin Rite parish priest.
“More than 20 young people rushed with me to the site and managed to extinguish the fire, while [the armed settlers] just stood by and watched,” he told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
What began as provocations — cows deliberately grazing in Taybeh’s famed olive groves — has escalated into open aggression.
“Without the harvest, there is no life in the town,” Fr. Bashar said, describing the economic lifeline threatened by this destruction.
Other attacks include road blockades, intimidation of residents, and a chilling sign erected outside Taybeh reading, “There is no future for you here.”
No help
The violence has not been confined to Taybeh. Just days earlier, three young Palestinians were killed in a similar assault on the nearby Muslim village of Kafr Malik. When residents of Taybeh called emergency coordination centers — twice — no help arrived.
“They didn’t protect us, they didn’t stop the settlers,” Fr. Bashar said, attributing the inaction to political and military ties between the army and settler groups.
In response, on July 14, leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church, Melkite Catholic Church, and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem made a joint visit to Taybeh and issued a rare unified statement.
“Even in times of war, sacred places must be protected,” they wrote. “We call for an immediate and transparent investigation into why the Israeli police did not respond to emergency calls from the local community and why these abhorrent actions continue to go unpunished.”
'We believe in ourselves'
The Churches condemned what they described as a systematic pattern of anti-Christian violence in the region, and called on international leaders — including diplomats, politicians, and Church figures — to speak out.
“Let us be clear,” the statement read. “The attacks must stop, both here in Taybeh and elsewhere throughout the West Bank.”
Taybeh’s population has dwindled from 15,000 to just a few hundred, as war and instability push families to leave. Ten more families have fled since the October escalation.
Yet Fr. Bashar insists the community will not give up.
“We believe in ourselves,” he said. “That we can stop them with help from God, the Virgin Mary, and especially our patron, Saint George.”
With tensions rising, Church leaders have asked for global prayers and public witness. “Our people want only to worship freely, to harvest their olives, to raise their children in peace,” they wrote. “This is a cry from the last Christian town in the Holy Land. Please do not let it go unheard.”
