The Christian village of Taibeh in the West Bank was once again targeted by extremist Israeli settlers in a nighttime attack, despite recent high-level visits meant to deter such violence. Local leaders are calling for impartial investigations, as official responses have failed to hold perpetrators accountable, drawing concern from international diplomats and moderate Israeli voices.
By Roberto Cetera, from Jerusalem
Despite the recent visit of the heads of the Christian Churches on July 14, followed by that of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, violence against the Palestinian Christian village of Taibeh has continued unabated.
The only entirely Christian Palestinian village in the region was once again the target of an attack during the night between Sunday, 27 July and Monday.
The attack
At round 2:20 a.m., a group of settlers broke into the village, reportedly throwing stones at homes, attempting to set one house on fire, scrawling threatening messages in Hebrew on walls, and torching three vehicles, including one belonging to a journalist and another to a municipal council member.
When young Palestinians emerged to protect their homes, livestock, and families, the attackers fled. Israeli soldiers, tasked with protecting civilians, arrived more than an hour later.
These repeated assaults, carried out by groups of settlers identifying themselves as the “Hilltop Youth” and led by extremist religious figure Neria ben Pazi, had previously targeted farmland and livestock.
Violence increasingly targeted at people
Now, the violence is increasingly aimed directly at people. Though the attackers are fueled by religious fanaticism, their actions are not exclusively anti-Christian. Rather, they are part of a broader campaign against the Palestinian population, affecting nearby Muslim communities as well.
The intent appears to be the gradual displacement of Palestinians from their land, Christians among them, given that the majority of Christian communities in the Holy Land are Palestinian.
A recent Israeli police report had controversially exonerated the settlers, even suggesting they had assisted villagers in extinguishing the fires, though it remains unclear who allegedly started them.
Last night’s attack also seems to bear the mark of retaliation against the U.S. administration, whose representatives recently issued strong condemnations of settler aggression.
German Ambassador Steffen Seibert remarked: “Whether the target is a Christian village or a Muslim community, these extremist settlers may claim divine mandate, but in truth they are criminals, strangers to any authentic faith.”
Attack on Taibeh
Christian witness of peace
What makes these attacks particularly grievous is the peaceful witness of the small Christian communities in the occupied West Bank.
These communities have consistently refrained from responding with violence, even when faced with provocation and attacks carried out in full view – and often under the silent watch – of Israeli military forces.
Their call remains clear: for a fair and independent investigation into these incidents, one conducted by neutral third parties, not by those directly or indirectly implicated in the violence. The findings presented thus far by Israeli authorities have raised concern even among moderate voices within Israeli society.
