Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Chair of the International Affairs Department of the Bishops’ Conference and Moderator of the Holy Land Coordination, has condemned the alarming escalation in settler violence taking place in the West Bank town of Taybeh.
On Tuesday, 8 July, priests representing the town’s three Christian churches issued a joint statement about the repeated attacks on their land, holy sites, and property. They reported an account of arson that threatened the 5th century church of Saint George (Al-Khadr), one of the oldest religious sites in Palestine, and highlighted an on-going campaign of violence and intimidation that impacts on the security and stability of Taybeh.
Bishop Nicholas Hudson learned about the challenges facing the town and the local community when he visited the Catholic Church of Christ the Redeemer in January as part of an international delegation of bishops meeting in the Holy Land.
He said: “Just six months ago, I was in Taybeh visiting what is now the last remaining entirely Christian town in the West Bank, as part of the annual Holy Land Co-ordination meeting.
“We were able to hear firsthand from Fr Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of the Church of Christ the Redeemer, about the extreme pressure being placed on the local community by Israeli settlers acting with impunity.
“In recent days we have learned of an alarming escalation in settler violence and intimidation that is going unchecked by the authorities. The local churches have appealed to the international community for help and solidarity, and we wish them to know that we have heard their cry. We strongly condemn these attacks and all acts of intimidation perpetrated against civilians in Taybeh and across the West Bank, and we urge the relevant authorities to take decisive action to prevent such incidents from happening again.
“Taybeh, or ‘Ephraim’ as it is known in the Bible, holds deep significance to Christians. These deliberate and repeated attacks are a violation of human dignity and international law in a place that once offered shelter to Christ himself.
“The Palestinian Christians we encountered in January stressed to us that all they want to do is live and work in peace in their own lands, without the paralysing restriction of movement placed upon them, so they can provide for their families and live side-by-side with their neighbours.
“We encourage the Catholic faithful in England and Wales to pray for the suffering Christians and all those affected by this violence in the West Bank. Equally, we invite all people of goodwill to raise their voices in the face of oppression and injustice, urging our leaders to use their influence to bring an end to this persecution.
“It is important to echo the cry of the Taybeh church leaders when they say that the Holy Land cannot remain alive without its indigenous people. As they say, ‘Forcibly removing farmers from their land, threatening their churches, and encircling their towns is a wound to the living heart of this nation’. We stand in solidarity with the Christians of Taybeh and the wider Holy Land, who have a right to live in safety and security. With them, we have faith that truth with justice will prevail.”
You can download the joint statement on the Taybeh attacks issued by Father Daoud Khoury, Greek Orthodox Church, Father Jacques-Noble Abed, Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and Father Bashar Fawadleh.
The article image shows Father Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of Christ the Redeemer in Taybeh, standing outside the place where Jesus chose to stay with His disciples before His Passion.
