On Monday, Christian leaders visited Taybeh, a town in the West Bank with a Christian majority where the 5th century Church of St. George was attacked by Israeli settlers. The attack also damaged the Christian cemetery next to the site.

In a statement, the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of Jerusalem asked for the prayers, attention, and action of the world, “particularly that of Christians globally.”

They said Taybeh suffered from an “intensifying trend of systemic and targeted attacks against them and their presence” when attacked on July 7.

Taybeh is the last remaining all-Christian town in the West Bank. These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community first and foremost, but also to the historic and religious heritage of our ancestors and holy sites,” the Christian leaders said.

“In the face of such threats, the greatest act of bravery is to continue to call this your home. We stand with you, we support your resilience, and you have our prayers. We give thanks for the local residents and firefighters for extinguishing the fire before our holy sites were destroyed, but we join voices with the local priests – Greek Orthodox, Latin, and Melkite Greek Catholic – issuing a clear plea for support in the face of repeated, systematic attacks from these radicals, which are only growing more frequent,” the statement continued.

“In recent months, the radicals have led their cattle to graze on the farms of Christians on the east side of Taybeh – the agricultural area – rendering them inaccessible at best but at worst damaging the olive groves that families depend on,” the leaders said.

They noted that last month, several homes were attacked by Israeli radicals, lighting fires and erecting a billboard that said, translated into English, “there is no future for you here.”

“The Church has had a faithful presence in this region for nearly 2,000 years. We firmly reject this message of exclusion and reaffirm our commitment to a Holy Land that is a mosaic of different faiths, living peacefully together in dignity and safety,” the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches said.

They called for the radicals to be held accountable by the Israeli authorities, “who facilitate and enable their presence around Taybeh.”

Even in times of war, sacred places must be protected. We call for an immediate and transparent investigation into why the Israeli police did not respond to emergency calls from the local community and why these abhorrent actions continue to go unpunished,” the Christian leaders aid.

“The attacks by the hands of settlers against our community, which is living in peace, must stop, both here in Taybeh and elsewhere throughout the West Bank. This is clearly part of the systematic attacks against Christians that we see unfolding throughout the region,” they continued.

“Furthermore, we ask diplomats, politicians, and church officials worldwide to provide a prayerful and outspoken voice for our ecumenical community in Taybeh, that their presence may be secured and that they can live in peace to worship freely, grow crops without danger, and live in a peace that seems to be in far too short of supply,” the Christian leaders said.

Rimonim, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, is near the Christian town, and has a population of just over 700 Jewish people. The settlement seized much of the land used by Christians in Taybeh.

In a statement, the English Bishop Nicholas Hudson – Chair of the International Affairs Department of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and Moderator of the Holy Land Coordination – condemned the attack on Taybeh.

“Just six months ago, I was in Taybeh visiting what is now the last remaining entirely Christian town in the West Bank, as part of the annual Holy Land Co-ordination meeting,” the bishop said.

“We were able to hear firsthand from Father Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of the Church of Christ the Redeemer, about the extreme pressure being placed on the local community by Israeli settlers acting with impunity,” Hudson continued.

“In recent days we have learned of an alarming escalation in settler violence and intimidation that is going unchecked by the authorities. The local churches have appealed to the international community for help and solidarity, and we wish them to know that we have heard their cry. We strongly condemn these attacks and all acts of intimidation perpetrated against civilians in Taybeh and across the West Bank, and we urge the relevant authorities to take decisive action to prevent such incidents from happening again,” he added.

“The Palestinian Christians [the Holy Land Coordination] encountered in January stressed to us that all they want to do is live and work in peace in their own lands, without the paralysing restriction of movement placed upon them, so they can provide for their families and live side-by-side with their neighbours,” the English bishop said.

“It is important to echo the cry of the Taybeh church leaders when they say that the Holy Land cannot remain alive without its indigenous people,” Hudson said.

The Jerusalem Christian leaders also issued a statement from King Abdullah II of Jordan condemning the attacks in Taybeh.

“His Majesty affirms that the severity of the settlers’ assaults, their daily terrorization of Palestinians, and their systematic aggression against dozens of villages, towns, and camps in the occupied Palestinian territories demand an immediate firm international position to halt these attacks — especially the ongoing genocide of killing and starving children, women, the elderly, and civilians in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.

“His Majesty stresses the importance of protecting civilian Palestinians, safeguarding their holy sites, and upholding their right to live in freedom and dignity and to establish their independent state on their national soil with East Jerusalem as its capital,” it added.

Yaron Sideman, the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, said in a statement last week that Israel takes “incidents such as the reported attack on the village of Taybeh very seriously and are thoroughly examining the circumstances. If a crime was committed, it will be fully investigated, and those responsible will be brought to justice.”

“We strongly condemn all acts of violence, including attacks against religious sites. It is worth noting that Israel safeguards the security of all religious communities and remains the only country in the Middle East where the number of Christian citizens continues to grow,” he said on X.