Taybeh, the only entirely Christian town in the occupied West Bank, has been facing attacks from Israeli settlers. The town has been attacked twice in recent weeks.
On June 25, reports say more than 100 settlers set vehicles on fire and vandalised homes in Taybeh. They even put up billboards that read, “There is no future for you here”. On July 7, Israeli settlers lit a fire near St. George’s Church, which is believed to have been built in the 5th century.
Taybeh is an entirely Christian town. It’s said to be one of the oldest in the world. Many believe it to be the town of Ephraim, mentioned in the Gospel of John. But the locals say it isn’t safe anymore, because of the repeated attacks by Israeli settlers.
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The attack on the Church outraged Christians in the Holy Land. The highest-ranking Church officials in Jerusalem went to Taybeh to examine the damage. This included the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy city as well.
The Church authorities have been demanding justice. They have reached out to Israeli authorities. Demanding that the perpetrators of the crimes be punished. But to no avail. It’s so bad, that the Church officials have publicly accused the Israeli authorities of being complicit.
Word has begun spreading across the Christian world. And the condemnations have started coming in. Four English Bishops sent a letter to the British news organisation, the Guardian. They didn't shy away from linking the actions of the Israeli settlers to the aims of the government in Tel Aviv. They said, “This culture of impunity rewards settler violence. There is no plausible deniability here – settlers aren’t defying the state; they are doing its bidding. Settler violence is state violence by any other name.”
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But, this terror is not restricted to Taybeh. Israeli settlers have been rampaging all over the occupied West Bank. They’ve been setting fire to buildings and vehicles. They’ve been attacking ordinary Palestinians, trying to oust them from their homes. And some people have even been beaten to death by Israeli settlers.
20-year-old Palestinian-American Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet was one such victim. He died during a settler attack. The US has called on Israel to launch a probe into Saif Musallet’s killing. But it has stopped short of launching its own investigation, even though Saif Musallet was an American citizen.
Settler violence is out of control. It is spreading. And no one is safe. If nothing is done to stop them, another tragedy is right around the corner.
