The Patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem condemned an October 17 attack on residents of the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank.
The settlers also attacked European diplomats who were visiting the village.
“This wild attack on the Christian village of Taybeh and against its peaceful population is not an isolated incident,” the Christian leaders said in their October 19 statement. “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.”
“In this regard, we consider the religious ruling recently published, allowing Jews to take the olives of Palestinians, as unfounded, very worrying and dangerous, and absolutely unacceptable,” the Christian leaders continued. “We very much appreciate that several rabbis and Jewish voices have publicly rejected it.”
“We call upon the competent authorities to bring those responsible to justice, and we urge the international community to intensify its efforts to ensure the protection of the people of Taybeh and the West Bank, as well as all those who visit these areas to express their solidarity,” the Christian leaders added. “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.”