Settlers attack again the village of Taybeh, Pizzaballa visits Jenin and Nablus
Last night, settlers again attacked the Christian village near Ramallah, setting cars on fire and spray painting walls with messages of hate. Yesterday, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, visited the parishes of Jenin and Rafidia, expressing solidarity and encouraging the Christian community to “persevere in faith amid adversity.”
Taybeh (AsiaNews) – A group of Israeli settlers has again targeted the Christian village of Taybeh, near Ramallah, in the West Bank.
Last night, attackers set fire to two cars and covered some walls with threatening graffiti. Among these, as shown in pictures posted online, stands out, in Hebrew: “Al-Mughayyir, you will regret” (pictured), a reference to a nearby village targeted earlier this year.
The cars set on fire belong to a local church leader, David Azar, and a journalist with Palestine TV, Jeries Azar.
“My greatest fear was for my two-year-old son. After we escaped, he cried nonstop for an hour," said the journalist, who, in expressing his anguish, referred to another incident dating back to 2015, when a family consisting of a couple and a child died in an arson attack by Jewish extremists, in the West Bank village of Duma.
Israeli police and military issued a joint statement confirming the deployment of a unit to the village and the start of a police investigation, although no immediate arrests were made.
The attack, which occurred around 2:30 am, is one of a long series of violent incidents involving settlers attacking the residents of Taybeh, a village of approximately 1,500 mostly Palestinian Christians.
The parish priest, Fr Bashar Fawadleh, has repeatedly denounced the ongoing attacks by settlers, including to AsiaNews. In recent months, settler violence has become even more brutal, particularly during the brief war between Israel and Iran.
In fact, some extremist groups have also targeted Israel Defence Forces (IDF) bases.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, recently visited Taybeh, along with Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III. Afterwards, again with Theophilos III, he travelled to Gaza to visit the Church of the Holy Family, which had been struck by Israeli tank fire.
Yesterday, Pizzaballa visited the Latin parishes in Jenin and Rafidia in Nablus, West Bank, carrying out his mandate to be “physically present among his people," as the Latin Patriarchate said in a statement.
At the Church of the Holy Redeemer in Jenin, the cardinal met with Fr Amer Jubran, parish priest, other men and women religious, and residents after presiding over Mass, during which he “expressed his closeness and solidarity, insisting on the importance of safeguarding Christian identity in the Holy Land.”
Later, the Latin primate visited the parish of Rafidia, again “encouraging perseverance in faith amid adversity.”
Both parishes face growing challenges. In Jenin, in addition to deteriorating security, there are frequent military incursions and road closures, while in Nablus, Christian residents suffer from social isolation and growing economic vulnerability.
“Yet, the parishioners remain resilient, drawing strength from their faith and the closeness of the clergy. Their quiet perseverance reflects the enduring spirit of Christian witness in the Holy Land,” reads the statement by the Latin Patriarchate.
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