West Bank Priest Begs the World for Justice

Any support I may have had for Israel evaporated when they began persecuting Christians, which has only accelerated since the war began.

From Aleteia

By Theresa Civantos Barber

Israel declared Taybeh, the last Christian town in the West Bank, a military zone, as local Christians cry out to the world for justice.

The Israeli army declared the last entirely Christian town in the West Bank, Taybeh, a closed military zone, saying this step is needed to address ongoing attacks by illegal settlers on the town. 

Bishop James Curry, Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Bishops’ Conference, said he was “deeply alarmed” at the move, which is forcing families to leave the region. 

Pope Leo XIV repeatedly has appealed for humanitarian access to Palestine, most recently Sunday August 16, when he called for an end “to the repeated acts of violence against the Palestinian population of the West Bank.”

Aleteia reached out to Fr. Firas Khoury, pastor of St. George Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Zababdeh, another Christian town in the West Bank, to hear how the pressure on Taybeh is affecting the whole community in the region. 

Living under siege

Christians in the region suffer ongoing attacks, he said:

What is going on in Taybeh is very serious. For the last three years, settlers have attacked the villages near the settlements and burned the olive trees and the fields belonging to the Palestinians. 

These settlers want to terrorize the people to flee and leave their homes. If they control the city, they could delete the long Christian history of this place. 

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed 76 Palestinians so far this year. This year OCHA has documented an average of 6.6 settler attacks per day that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both— higher than any year on its record.

But the global Christian community needs Christians to stay in the Holy Land, Fr. Khoury said. Their presence keeps alive the story of Jesus in the land where he lived. He said:

The big question is, “What if all the Christians flee from the Holy Land, if they could not face the terror? What would this land mean for Christians in the west? What would their story mean?” Shrines and history will never tell you the story of the man from Nazareth. 

A plea to the world

Christians in the Holy Land desperately need the world’s support to be able to remain there, in the land of their forefathers. Fr. Khoury compared himself to a “beggar” asking for help from Christians around the world, saying:

We are beggars: We do not beg for money, but we are begging you to stand for justice and solidarity with the Christian community here, so that Taybeh can survive in the middle of the conflict. 

We invite you to pray for us and hear our stories and come to visit; we have many stories to tell you. 

We need you to stand for peace, to listen to the Christian Church in the Holy Land and stand with us, your brothers and sisters. 

Today, we are trying to survive.

Readers can pray for the Christian community in Palestine, particularly in Taybeh, and consider supporting organizations that help them, such as Save West Bank Christians and Pilgrims of Ibilin, as well as Holy Land pilgrimage groups whose tourism helps support these communities. Also consider helping through CNEWA, founded 100 years ago this year by Pope Pius XI.