Order of St. George Condemns Attack on Palestinian Christian Village

Photo: orderofsaintgeorge.org

JULY 31, 2025 — The Holy Orthodox Order of St. George the Great Martyr, a pan-Orthodox order which was founded for the purpose of caring for the Orthodox Christians of the Holy Land and Greater Middle East, has condemned the recent assault on the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh, which was previously reported on by UOJ.

“We decry not only the desecration of sacred ground, the burning of property, and the terrorization of families - but also the utter failure of the occupying authorities to protect this vulnerable and historic community,” the Order’s release states.

The release states that Israeli settlers went to Taybeh “with torches in hand and hatred in their hearts” at nighttime, torching cars, stoning homes, and driving livestock into family yards.

Not only this, but a fire was set near the entrance of the fifth-century Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, and the surrounding cemetery – which is the resting place of generations of Christians – was desecrated.

Photo: orderofsaintgeorge.org

“It is a campaign of intimidation,” the Order said. “And it is part of a larger, coordinated attempt to erase the Christian presence from the land of Christ.”

Reports from the people of Taybeh share that families have fled in fear from the homes of their ancestors – elderly and children alike – and dozens have been injured. 

“Homes have been ransacked. Vineyards and olive groves – some hundreds of years old – have been uprooted or torched, stripping families not only of their sustenance but of their dignity, memory, and future. Livestock have been slaughtered or stolen. Wells have been poisoned. Doors have been marked. In some cases, villagers have reported threats warning them not to return—chilling echoes of ethnic cleansing, veiled in silence.”

The Order stated that this is part of a deliberate campaign of settler extremism that cannot be reduced to “isolated incidents.” A clear and escalating pattern has been revealed under the shadow of occupation.

Those same occupying forces are either silently complicit or watchfully involved, but it is the silence of the world that is most deafening, the Order said:

“Where are the outcries from the chancelleries of the West? Where are the sanctions, the condemnations, the demands for justice? Has the suffering of Arab Christians become so familiar that it no longer stirs the conscience?”

Along with this admonition, the Order called Gaza to remembrance, which has recently seen the death of three Orthodox Christians following an Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church, where Catholic and Orthodox Christians alike were sheltering. In 2023, a strike on the Orthodox Church just 200 meters away – St. Porphyrios – also resulted in numerous casualties.

With the Christians of Palestine under siege, and as part of its mission to defend the Christians of the Holy Land Middle East, the Order called upon the international community to investigate the alleged crimes, for Christians worldwide to unite in solidarity against religious persecution, for the occupying forces to end their inaction and indifference to settler violence, and for the faithful to pray, donate, and advocate on behalf of those in Taybeh and Gaza.

Photo: orderofsaintgeorge.org

“Taybeh is not merely a village,” the Order said. “Gaza is not merely a war zone. They are living icons of the Passion – wounded, bloodied, and yet radiant with the light of the Resurrection. To attack Taybeh is to strike at the soul of the Christian presence in the West Bank. To bomb Gaza’s churches and mosques is to crucify the innocent anew. But be assured: the soul of the Holy Land cannot be extinguished by fire, nor driven out by fear.”

To read the full release from the Order, visit here. To donate, visit here.

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