Jewish settlers’ attacks threaten Christians in Taybeh village

TAYBEH, Holy Land — In a statement issued on July 8, 2025, the priests of the Christian village of Taybeh in Ramallah—Fr. Ibrahim Khoury, Fr. Dawoud Matta, and Fr. Bashar Fawadleh—condemn a series of repeated attacks targeting local lands, religious sites, and properties, which they say threaten the area’s stability and the safety of its residents. 

According to the statement, Jewish settlers set fire to agricultural fields surrounding the shrine of Saint George, causing significant damage. This attack is part of a broader pattern of aggression in the area, including uprooting trees, erecting fences to block landowners from accessing their land, and attempting to seize church endowments. 

The priests call on local and international authorities, as well as church representatives worldwide, to take action against these aggressive practices and Israeli policies aimed at altering the identity and sacred landmarks of the area. “We believe that the Holy Land cannot survive without its indigenous people, and that expelling farmers from their lands, threatening their churches, and besieging their towns is a stab in the living heart of this country, and for this hope that we carry in our common faith: that truth and justice will triumph in the end,” the statement concludes.

Related: West Bank Priest of last Christian village: “We live under constant fire from settlers”

Taybeh: A Christian Village 

Taybeh is a village located in Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank. It is one of the oldest Canaanite villages in the region and remains predominantly Christian to this day. The population is predominantly Greek (Rûm) Orthodox, Melkite Catholic and Latin Catholic. 

French explorer Victor Guérin visited Taybeh in 1863 and reported around 800 residents—60 Catholics and the rest Orthodox Christians. An Ottoman list from around 1870 recorded the village population at 283 males, reflecting its Christian character even then. 

Near the village stands the ruined Church of Saint George, as well as remnants of a destroyed fortress.