Church Leaders Blame Israel for Taybeh Attacks

Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III and Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, along with other senior church leaders, have accused Israeli authorities of enabling and failing to prevent a surge of violent attacks by Israeli settlers on Taybeh, the last entirely Christian Palestinian village in the West Bank. The attacks have included arson at historic church sites, harassment of villagers, and destruction of property, causing increased fear and migration among Taybeh's Christian residents. Church leaders have called for investigations into the lack of Israeli police response and demanded accountability for those responsible. King Abdullah II of Jordan also condemned the settler violence and labeled Israel's actions in Gaza as 'genocide,' urging international intervention. Local clergy and residents report that the violence targets displacement of Christians and seizure of land, making Taybeh emblematic of the broader plight of Palestinian Christians. The incidents in Taybeh are described as part of a wider escalation of violence and lawlessness in the West Bank amid ongoing conflict in Gaza.