The parish priest for Latin-rite Catholics in Taybeh, a Palestinian Christian village in the West Bank, said that residents there face increasing harassment from Israeli settlers, including trespassing and setting fire to land.
Father Bashar Fawadleh told Vatican News that “legal options exist, but they are unfortunately very limited and rarely effective. That is why international presence and pressure are vital right now. We need concrete protection for civilians and genuine political will to bring an end to this violence.”
“I invite every Catholic diocese worldwide to speak out about the situation here, to talk about these Christian brothers and sisters who are living in terror,” he continued. “The birthplace of the Christian community must not vanish into silence.”
Father Fawadleh also appealed to Pope Leo to “intervene for this last Christian village in the West Bank, so that these settler attacks cease and the occupation of our land stops. We simply want to live in peace, with justice and dignity.”