AMMAN — Flames set dangerously on July 7 near one of the West Bank’s oldest Christian landmarks, the 5th-century Byzantine Saint George’s Church in Taybeh, Palestine.

 

Israeli settlers intentionally set fire to land adjacent to Taybeh’s Christian cemetery, threatening the survival of this sacred site. Thanks to the swift intervention of local residents and firefighters, a disaster was avoided, according to Vatican News.

 

The priests of Taybeh’s three churches — Greek Orthodox, Latin, and Melkite Greek Catholic — jointly condemned these acts in a public statement: “These aggressions threaten the safety and stability of our community and seek to erase our historical and religious heritage.”

 

Father Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of the Latin Church of Christ the Redeemer in Taybeh, said he had never experienced anything like this before.

 

“There were no injuries, but the fires continue and the people of the town try to put them out and ensure, as best they can, their safety,” he explained.

 

He noted that only the quick action of residents and firefighters prevented a catastrophe that could have destroyed one of their treasures, the 5th-century Byzantine Saint George’s Church.

 

Regarding the daily incursions, Father Bashar said: “Every morning, settlers come to graze their herds of cattle on our lands, preventing the owners from accessing and cultivating their fields.”

 

He added, “The settlers, often armed, do not physically harm family members, but their presence damages the olive trees,” which threatens the local economy largely based on olive oil production. He fears the worst for this year’s harvest.

 

About official responses, he said: “Nobody controls the settlers — neither the Israeli government, nor the Israeli military occupying the West Bank, nor the Israeli teams supposedly ‘coordinating civil life’ with the Palestinian Authority. We called them, and they told us they wanted to do something for us. But until now, they have done nothing.”

 

Describing the emotional toll, Father Bashar explained that the children of Taybeh live in a climate of fear so intense that they start crying at the mere mention of the settler’s name. “Fear has become constant.”

 

The recent fire near the cemetery follows a pattern of escalating aggression. On June 25, dozens of armed settlers attacked Taybeh and the neighboring Christian village of Kafr Malik, burning homes and vehicles. Such incidents occur “in broad daylight and with complete impunity,” Father Bashar explained.

 

The priests of Taybeh are urgently appealing to the international community, diplomats, and church leaders to apply pressure on Israeli authorities to stop these incursions. They demand transparent investigations into the fires and attacks and invite observers to witness firsthand the daily reality they endure.

 

The threat extends beyond Taybeh to at least fourteen nearby villages. Just last week, four young Palestinians were killed in clashes involving settlers and Israeli military forces.

 

“We want nothing more than to live in peace and justice,” Father Bashar concluded.

 

 

A broader pattern of endangerment

 

 

Taybeh’s situation is emblematic of a larger crisis faced by Christian communities across Palestine.

 

In Gaza, the October 2023 Israeli airstrike on the Church of Saint Porphyrius killed 18 civilians sheltering there, one of the world’s oldest churches.

 

Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, endured a 39-day siege in 2002, causing significant damage and trauma.

 

Access to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher — Christianity’s holiest site — has become increasingly restricted. Easter celebrations in 2023 and 2024 saw thousands of Palestinian Christians denied entry or subjected to police harassment and violence.

 

 

According to the 2024 Rossing Centre report, anti-Christian attacks — ranging from vandalism and verbal abuse to physical assault — have surged. These acts are often perpetrated by young Israeli Jewish extremists aiming to Judaize Jerusalem’s Old City.

 

 

Erasing the Christian presence in the Holy Land

 

 

Christianity’s two-thousand-year-old roots in Palestine are now under grave threat. In Gaza, a total of three churches have been destroyed; the Church of the Holy Family remains a refuge for displaced civilians.

 

In the West Bank, Taybeh is among the last remaining villages with a continuous Christian presence. Without urgent protection, its religious and cultural heritage may soon be lost. As the priests warn, “The Holy Land cannot remain alive without its original inhabitants.”