Patriarchs, diplomats from over 20 nations tour West Bank church vandalized by Israeli settlers

A delegation of patriarchs, church leaders and diplomats from over 20 countries visited the ancient Christian town of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank on Monday to assess the damage following recent attacks by illegal Israeli settlers on a historic church.

Earlier this month, extremist settlers set fire to agricultural fields and one of the outer walls of the Church of St. George in Taybeh. Christian leaders condemned the attack as a “blatant assault” on religious sanctities.

The visiting delegation included representatives from the European Union, the UK, Russia, China, Japan, Jordan, Australia and Canada.

It visited “the most ancient and important Christian religious site in the West Bank,”

Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Taybeh, told Anadolu, referring to the Church of St George, which was built in the fifth century and restored in the ninth.

He said the group observed visible signs of repeated arson attacks on the church's external walls in recent weeks.

“A heavily armed settler herds cattle through local fields, destroys crops and olive trees and has repeatedly set fires,” Fawadleh said, adding “the attack on this church proves the (Israeli) occupation targets all Palestinians – Christian and Muslim alike.”

Taybeh is a majority-Christian Palestinian town known for its religious and historical significance.

Local activist Qassam Muaddi told Anadolu that illegal settler violence in Taybeh mirrors that experienced in nearby villages such as Kafr Malik and al-Mughayyir.

He said illegal settlers had forcibly displaced Bedouin families from Taybeh's surrounding lands and established an illegal outpost in their place, describing the situation as “a dangerous escalation.”

“Israel's occupation does not differentiate between Muslims and Christians,” Muaddi added. “It targets all components of Palestinian existence.”

Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, at least 998 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.