Christians within the Holy Land have accused the Israeli government of giving tacit support to Jewish extremists who’ve launched attacks on Christian communities within the West Bank.
On 7 July, settlers attacked the mostly Christian town of Taybeh. There they attacked houses and set fire to cars and the Church of St George, which dates back to the fifth century. The church’s cemetery was also damaged within the attack.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), violence by Israeli settlers within the West Bank has been on the rise because the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023.
In May the OCHA issued a report stating that Israeli settlers were injuring a median of 44 Palestinians a month, the best rate in 20 years. Around 200 people have also been forcibly displaced from their homes this 12 months, sometimes allegedly with help from Israeli security forces.
Following the attack on Taybeh various Christian leaders said the federal government was complicit within the motion.
Fr Bashar Fawadleh told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), “Twice we called the centre for coordination between the Palestinian Government and the Israeli Government, they said they were coming, but they never got here.
“They didn’t protect us, they didn’t stop the settlers, and it is because they protect the settlers, because plenty of the soldiers come from the settler communities, they usually are encouraged by the fanatical elements within the Government.”
Church leaders within the region called for the attackers to be dropped at justice and for more to be done to stop further attacks.
“The Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches calls for these radicals to be held accountable by the Israeli authorities, who facilitate and enable their presence around Taybeh,” they said.
“Even in times of war, sacred places have to be protected. We call for an instantaneous and transparent investigation into why the Israeli police didn’t reply to emergency calls from the area people and why these abhorrent actions proceed to go unpunished.”
The statement said the attack represented a part of a “systematic” assault on Christians within the region.
Fr Fawadleh added that the settlers had previously shown no regard for the Christian locals, “Every morning, for nearly one month, a settler would come to graze a big herd of cows amongst our olive groves, that are very famous for his or her quality.
“Here people live mainly from the sale of olive oil. The cows have been destroying the trees and can break the harvest season, which is in October. Without the harvest, there isn’t any life within the town.”
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