Church Officials Warn of Growing Threats to Historic Christian Community in Taybeh
As fires burned around Taybeh, church leaders warned that one of the Holy Land's oldest Christian communities faces an increasingly uncertain future.
TAYBEH, WEST BANK — Church leaders and local residents are raising alarm after an attack on the predominantly Christian Palestinian town of Taybeh, where fires were reportedly set in agricultural areas amid ongoing tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
According to reports cited by Christian advocacy groups and local activists, assailants linked to nearby Israeli settlements set fire to fields surrounding the town and attempted to ignite additional property. Residents also reported gunfire and other acts of intimidation as emergency responders worked to contain the blazes. Taybeh, identified by many Christians with the biblical Ephraim mentioned in the Gospel of John, is regarded as the last entirely Christian town in the West Bank.
The incident follows a series of reported attacks on the community over the past two years. Church leaders from the Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, and Latin Catholic communities have previously warned that repeated violence, property destruction, and economic pressure threaten the continued presence of Christians in the area. Religious leaders have called for greater protection of civilians and historic Christian sites, while urging international attention to the situation.
Israeli political and security figures have also publicly condemned extremist settler violence in recent years, with some describing such acts as terrorism and warning of their impact on Israel's security and international standing.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Israel announced a plan after the Holy Sepulchre dispute.
