Israeli settlers have intensified attacks on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, with recent incidents in Taybeh drawing sharp criticism from church leaders and diplomats from over 20 countries, including the UK, Russia, and China.
In Taybeh, a predominantly Christian town, settlers set fires near a historic church, prompting Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III and Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa to condemn the Israeli authorities’ failure to respond to emergency calls.
The patriarchs issued a statement demanding an investigation, accusing Israeli authorities of enabling settlers’ presence around Taybeh, in violation of international law.
Since Israel’s ongoing genocide in the besieged Strip of Gaza began in October 2023, settlers, often supported by Israeli soldiers, have escalated their assaults across the West Bank.
In al-Maniya village near Bethlehem, settlers uprooted approximately 1,500 olive saplings and erected tents, while Israeli forces demolished a four-storey Palestinian residential building.
These attacks follow a pattern of settlers grazing cattle on Palestinian lands, burning homes, and posting threatening signs, such as one in Taybeh declaring, “there is no future for you here.”
Latin Patriarch Pizzaballa described the West Bank as a “lawless area,” where force overshadows justice, leaving Palestinians without legal recourse.
Home to over three million Palestinians, the occupied West Bank endures harsh Israeli military rule and illegal settlements housing about 500,000 settlers on private Palestinian land.
These settlements, combined with large-scale Israeli incursions, have displaced tens of thousands and killed hundreds, exacerbating the devastation caused by Israel’s systematic targeting of Gaza’s healthcare system and infrastructure.