Mon Jul 14 18:15:59 UTC 2025: **News Article: International Delegation Condemns Settler Violence in West Bank Town of Taybeh**
**Taybeh, West Bank** – Diplomats and religious leaders from over 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Japan, Jordan, and the European Union, visited the Palestinian town of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank on Monday to express solidarity after a surge in attacks by Israeli settlers.
The visit comes amid escalating concerns over settler violence, particularly since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023. Top church leaders, including Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III and Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, denounced recent incidents, including settlers setting fires near Taybeh’s historic Church of St. George. They criticized Israeli authorities for allegedly failing to respond to emergency calls from the Palestinian community.
“The only law [in the West Bank] is that of power, of those who have the force, not the law,” said Pizzaballa, calling for the rule of law to be restored.
The patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem issued a statement demanding an investigation into the attacks and accountability for the settlers, alleging that Israeli authorities “facilitate and enable their presence around Taybeh.” They cited incidents of settlers grazing cattle on Palestinian land, setting homes on fire, and erecting threatening signs.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Doha, described the situation as a “systemic and targeted attack” against the Christian community in the West Bank, who number approximately 50,000.
Palestinian reports indicate a surge in settler violence, with attacks reported across the West Bank on Monday, including the uprooting of hundreds of olive trees in al-Maniya village near Bethlehem and the demolition of a residential building by Israeli authorities.
The occupied West Bank is home to over three million Palestinians living under Israeli military rule. More than 100 Israeli settlements, deemed illegal under international law, house approximately 500,000 settlers on private Palestinian land.
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