By Fr. Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Taybeh, Palestine
Across the illegally occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers invade villages, grab land, disrupt livelihoods and assault Palestinians with impunity, usually with state support. Settlers and soldiers have killed more Palestinians over the past three years than over the preceding 17 combined. Just since January 2025, they have conducted over 2,500 attacks; razed more than 2,100 structures, including over 600 homes; and displaced nearly 40,000 people.
Earlier this week, they came for Taybeh. It was not the first time they targeted this last remaining all-Christian settlement of Palestine. In July 2025, Israeli settlers had similarly spread terror in the town, prompting the priests of its three churches to release a statement that was republished on our website. Fr. Bashar Fawadleh had also recounted that attack during a webinar that Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada had organized last year.
Fr. Bashar’s statement on this latest attack highlights how ineffective Canada’s response to West Bank settler expansionism has been. Content to join peer countries in issuing the occasional mild condemnation or some very limited sanctions, the Government of Canada has not even definitively ceased exporting arms to Israel.
Taybeh under attack: live fire and assaults amid efforts to contain an arson blaze
2026-06-10
Yesterday evening, Tuesday at approximately 8:30 p.m., we were subjected to yet another attack―one that was complex, alarming, and difficult to comprehend or justify.
The events began with a fire being deliberately set across a large area of Jabal Al-Masis, opposite the fuel station. Palestinian firefighting crews were initially prevented from reaching the site due to the absence of the necessary security coordination, allowing the fire to spread and threaten surrounding land and property.
In response to this danger, a group of young men from the town volunteered to assist in extinguishing the fire by bringing a water tanker to the area. Instead of being allowed to carry out this humanitarian effort, they were surrounded and obstructed by settlers. The situation then escalated further when another group of young men was attacked. Several individuals were physically assaulted, two vehicles were damaged, and a mobile phone was stolen.
Most alarming of all, live fire was directed at us on three separate occasions during these events. Such actions represent a grave escalation that endangered civilian lives and spread fear among the residents of our community.
The fire was eventually brought under control only after the required coordination procedures were completed, enabling Palestinian firefighters to access the area, and with the arrival of the Israeli police, preventing the blaze from spreading further.
What we are experiencing is not a series of isolated incidents, but an ongoing pattern of intimidation and unjustified violence that undermines our fundamental right to safety, security, and dignity. The people of Taybeh, like all people everywhere, seek only to live peacefully on their land, free from fear and repeated attacks.
We therefore call upon the international community, friendly nations, human rights organizations, churches, and humanitarian institutions to assume their moral and legal responsibilities and take meaningful action to stop the escalating attacks against Taybeh and its residents.
Taybeh, a town of profound historical and spiritual significance, known as the only remaining entirely Christian Palestinian town in the West Bank and home to the descendants of the first believers in Christ’s message, deserves protection, dignity, and peace—not fear, intimidation, and recurring violence.
Our message is simple and clear: we want to live in peace. We want our children to grow up in safety and our families to enjoy a normal life, just like people everywhere else in the world. This is a basic human right that must be respected and protected.