The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have condemned an attack carried out by masked settlers “against local residents during the olive harvest, and against the foreign guests, including diplomats and officials from European countries, who were with them in a visit of solidarity”.
In a statement dated 19 October and published by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the church leaders said:
“This wild attack on the Christian village of Taybeh and against its peaceful population is not an isolated incident.”
They added: “In the past weeks the Palestinian villages of the West Bank have been exposed to a wide-scale terror by settlers, which is reaching a peak during this time of the olive harvest, when families go to their lands to collect what they need to live and renew their generations-long bond with their lands.”
Masked settlers wielding metal bars attacked a group of European diplomats on Saturday during a visit to the occupied West Bank. The attack came a day after masked settlers beat and seriously injured Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine as she covered an olive harvest in the village of Abu Falah.
Israeli police arrested ten people on Monday in connection with a wave of settler violence. Police have not named the suspects. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has questioned the video evidence and testimony from the incidents in Abu Falah and Taybeh.
The church leaders thanked Israel’s president for his reaction on X:
“We thank the President of the State of Israel, Mr. Yitzhak Herzog, for his words of condemnation.”
Herzog said in a statement: “I strongly condemn this outrageous and shocking violence”, referring to Levine’s attack and to “other grave incidents of violence, such as what took place today in Taybeh”. He called for those responsible to be brought to justice.
Church leaders went on to reject a recent religious ruling, reported to be by Rabbi Dov Lior, which permitted Jews to harvest olives from Palestinian property to demonstrate ownership of the land, presenting it as fulfilling a religious commandment.
“We consider the religious ruling recently published, allowing Jews to take the olives of Palestinians, as unfounded, very worrying and dangerous, and absolutely unacceptable.”
They added: “We very much appreciate that several rabbis and Jewish voices have publicly rejected it.”
“Unfortunately, the facts on the ground show that these attacks continue because of the impunity enjoyed by those who commit them.”
The Patriarchs called on the international community to intensify its efforts to protect the people of Taybeh and the West Bank, and asked for prayer:
“We lift up our prayers for the people of Taybeh and for all the people of the Holy Land, that they may live in safety, justice and peace.”
Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah, has suffered repeated settler attacks. It is one of the last remaining Christian villages in the West Bank.