Over the past month, residents of the Palestinian village of Taybeh – the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank – say they have come under repeated attack.
On the night of June 25th, fires were lit near the village entrance. A few weeks later, a fire broke out next to the ruins of the 5th century Church of St George. Residents and clergy blame the fires on Israeli settlers, a claim supported by footage available online.
Much of that footage was collected and shared by Ihab Hassan, a Palestinian Christian activist originally from the West Bank.
The attacks
Hassan – who grew up in nearby Ramallah – told Vatican News that Taybeh is “a small village of about 1,300 people”.
Violent attacks by settlers in the region are not new, he said – and in fact around ten families have already left the village because of them.
Recently, Hassan said, the violence has escalated, and there have been “constant, daily” attacks on the villages surrounding Taybeh.
A month ago, on the 25th June, settlers attacked the village of Kafr Malik, in a raid that left three Palestinians dead. Footage posted by Hassan suggests that they then moved on to attack Taybeh, which is nearby, setting vehicles on fire near the village entrance.
In a number of subsequent attacks, settlers herded cattle to graze on property belonging to residents of the village, according to residents and clergy. “They literally invaded the back yards of these people”, emphasised Hassan.
A fire was also lit near the graveyard attached to the ruins of the 5th-century Church of St George. Footage shared by Hassan suggests that settlers were responsible.
Read more: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-07/ihab-hassan-taybeh-christian-village-settler-violence.html
By Joseph Tulloch | vaticannews
