West Bank parish priest calls for action to preserve Christian presence

By Beatrice Guarrera 

Taybeh, the last entirely Christian Palestinian village in the West Bank, is facing what its parish priest describes as an unprecedented threat to its land, its people and its historic Christian presence.

After months of appeals over repeated violence targeting the village, Father Bashar Fawadleh says a new danger has emerged. According to eyewitnesses and local monitoring groups, Israeli settlers have begun constructing what is believed to be an illegal outpost in the Jabal Al-Massis area, a mountainous tract of land belonging to the village.

Growing fear and uncertainty

The prospect of a settlers’ outpost being established only a few metres from residential homes has heightened anxiety among local residents. Father Fawadleh says families fear living under constant intimidation, while farmers worry they may no longer be able to reach their fields and poultry farms in the eastern part of the village.

He argues that the move is intended to impose “a new reality” by force and to pressure the people of Taybeh into leaving their land. According to the parish priest, the establishment of an outpost—often a precursor to a permanent settlement—would further deepen the sense of insecurity already experienced by the community.

The land in question lies in Area B under the Oslo Accords, where civil administration is the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority, while security is jointly managed by the Palestinian police and the Israeli military authorities.

Appeals unanswered

Father Fawadleh says the village has spent months drawing international attention to its situation by hosting ambassadors, religious leaders and international delegations, while providing reports, photographs, videos and eyewitness testimonies documenting the incidents.

Despite these efforts, he says, violence has continued not only around Jabal Al-Massis but also on the western side of the village, where settlers have reportedly been preventing workers from accessing a local cement factory since last week.

The possibility of a new outpost surrounding the village, he adds, has left many residents feeling increasingly isolated and confined. As discouragement grows, many have begun questioning whether international law and repeated appeals to the international community can still make a difference.

“We are simply asking to remain on our land without fear,” he says.

“The time to act is now”

Father Fawadleh has appealed to institutions and all people of goodwill to take concrete steps to safeguard the Christian presence in the Holy Land.

“The Holy Land cannot be preserved through words alone. It must be protected through concrete action,” he says, warning that allowing another outpost to be established would send a devastating message to the local Christian community that their security, rights and future are no longer being protected.

“Do not wait until it is too late,” he urges. “Do not wait until yet another irreversible reality is imposed. The time to act is now.”

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A community determined to endure

One year after fires set by a group of settlers near the town cemetery and the ancient Church of Al-Khader (Saint George), Christians in Taybeh continue to live with a sense of vulnerability.

Despite the difficulties, parish life continues. The village’s summer camp for children, attended by 161 participants, began on Monday under the joint coordination of priests from Taybeh’s three Christian communities: Greek Orthodox, Melkite Greek Catholic and Latin Catholic.

Although confidence in the international community has been shaken, Father Fawadleh says the faithful continue to place their trust in God and in the Church.

He concludes with a final appeal not to forget Taybeh, warning that if the village were to lose its people, the world would lose not only a village, but a living Christian community.