On 28 and 29 October, Father Bashar Fawadleh, Latin Patriarch Catholic priest from Christ the Redeemer parish in Taybeh – the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Palestine, visited the UK at the invitation of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He took part in a number of engagements to raise awareness about the current situation in Taybeh.
Fr Bashar spoke with journalists at a press conference on the morning of Wednesday 28 October, giving a testimony of recent events in his village.
He explained that in the eastern part of Taybeh, the residents are experiencing violent attacks by “radical settlers”, including burning the land and cars of local residents, as well as bringing cows and sheep to graze on agricultural land, blocking the harvest of olive groves – a key asset of this land.
Describing one recent attack, Fr Bashar said:
“The fire was coming closer to our homes, so we took the initiative. I was with the people at that time, and I was so afraid, but I [went] with the people with the tractor to the small tank for water to extinguish the fire. … The settlers came back with drones and phones to film. They stole our phones and broke our cars. … When we escaped, they followed us and … they [shot] against us three times. … It was something as very dangerous and serious.”
In the western part of Taybeh, Fr Bashar described how the villagers face additional problems with Bedouins. This is not a problem unique to Taybeh, as Fr Bashar explained:
“We are not just facing not just occupation, the attacks by the settlers, but we are facing also the Bedouins who are still stealing our land, stealing our olive groves, and they’re picking the olives without any permission … and the Palestinian government, they do nothing. I’m not afraid to share this with you because this is the reality. … This is another issue that we are facing as Palestinians and Christians, because it’s the same scene in the other villages with the Bedouins.”
Despite diplomatic presence and agreements, attacks and violence against the people of Taybeh continue, including against children and the elderly. Fr Bashar also witnessed attacks against diplomatic delegations while accompanying an organised visit:
“We were all shocked because this is the first time that we are facing something like that. We thought, has something happened against the diplomatic missions? What would have happened if we had been alone without any diplomatic missions?”
Fr Bashar highlighted how the increasing violence is leading to villagers leaving Taybeh in fear of their safety if they remain.
“16 families have left Taybeh; that means between 70 to 75 persons in the last 3 years. … If this place will be empty [of] Christians, you will lose your roots from the land, because we are the roots of the Christians.”
Despite the hardship, the presence of the Church is felt in the land.
“This is our situation, but still we are the Church. The Church is present. We do not just put our hands up and say we cannot do anything. No, the Church is present. We are raising our voice, we are inviting the people to come to Taybeh. … We put on a lot of pressure through by the diplomatic missions, the ecclesiastical channels and with the Vatican. … We don’t ask anything, we don’t ask any privilege because we are Christians. No, we ask human rights. We ask basic rights. to live in security and safety. That’s all.”
Later that day, Fr Bashar met with MPs and Peers in Parliament, where he was hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Holy See to discuss the recent violence that his community in Taybeh have been subject to, and to listen to what assistance the Christian community in the West Bank currently need.
In addition to praying for a just a peaceful resolution to the conflict, Fr Bashar explained the positive role Western politicians can have in drawing attention to the ongoing violence and encouraging Governments to take action to oppose it.
Fr Bashar was then invited to attend a meeting of the Third Delegated Legislation Committee as they heard from a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister and discussed the recent expansion of the UK Government’s sanctions programme against illegal settlements in the West Bank.
On the evening of 28 October, Fr Bashar concelebrated the Mass of Our Lady Queen of Palestine and of the Holy Land at St James’s Spanish Place, London, with members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. After the Mass, Fr Bashar was joined in conversation with Bishop James Curry.
Fr Bashar also recorded a podcast alongside Bishop James Curry, Lead Bishop for the Holy Land, and Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer, in which he discussed further the struggles of every day life in Taybeh. You can listen to the podcast here.
