Jerusalem, July 15, 2025
Patriarch Theophilos III, center, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, left, and Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Nourha Manuougian, right, by the 4th century Church of St. George in Taybeh, July 14, 2025. Photo: Zain Jaafar / AFP.
Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem along with Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa and other religious representatives visited the Palestinian West Bank town of Taybeh yesterday, to make a statement concerning several recent attacks by radical settlers on this town—the only fully Christian Palestinian village in the West Bank—as reported in various media, including the Times of Israel.
The leaders called upon the Israeli government to be held accountable for those “who facilitate and enable” these attacks. The leaders allege that Israeli settlers set fire to Christian homes, intentionally grazed their farm animals on Palestinian agricultural land, and erected signs telling the residents that “there is no future for you here.”
The Catholic leader warned that the West Bank is descending into lawlessness: “The only law is that of power, of those who have the force, not the law.”
A fire burns next to the archaeological site of the ruins of the Church of St. George in the West Bank town of Taybeh, July 9, 2025. Residents allege that local settler extremists started the fire. Photo: Nabd ElHaya online radio station
Patriarchs Theophilos and Pizzaballa prayed together at the ruins of the ancient Church of St. George, which was also targeted in the arsons. The visit was made to show solidarity among Christians in the region, and to hold a press conference and make a joint statement:
“The Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches calls for these radicals to be held accountable by the Israeli authorities, who facilitate and enable their presence around Taybeh. We call for an immediate and transparent investigation into why the Israeli police did not respond to emergency calls from the local community and why these abhorrent actions continue to go unpunished.”
Local clergy had called the police twice during the arson attack and were told that police were being dispatched, but in fact no police officers arrived at the scene, the Times reports.
There are approximately 50,000 Christian Palestinians remaining in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Christian leaders fear that the lawlessness that has intensified threatens even more Christian emigration. Theophilos and Pizzaballa said that Taybeh was facing “an intensifying trend of systemic and targeted attacks,” and called the settler assaults “a direct and intentional threat” to the local Christian community and to “the historic and religious heritage of our ancestors and holy sites.”
The full statement is found on the Jerusalem Patriarchate website:
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