JERUSALEM, 19 October 2026
We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, condemn the heinous attack carried out on Saturday, 17 October, by masked settlers in Taybeh 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 to the areas sustaining continuous attacks by similar groups of settlers.
This wild attack on the Christian village of Taybeh and against its peaceful population is not an isolated incident. 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. We very much appreciate that several rabbis and Jewish voices have publicly rejected it.
We thank the President of the State of Israel Mr. Yitzhak Herzog for his words of condemnation. Unfortunately, the facts on the ground show that these attacks continue because of the impunity enjoyed by those who commit them. We recognize the action taken by the Israel Police and the arrests carried out following this attack, and we express our hope that this enforcement will continue in a serious and consistent manner and will not remain an isolated measure.
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.
We renew our full support to the community of Taybeh and its churches, and we will continue, as in the past, to do everything possible to preserve the Christian presence there.
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.
+ The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem
