Diocesan News
‘We are not strangers because we belong to the land’
Patriarchs and Heads of Churches solidarity visit to Taybeh in the West Bank
Meanwhile in the West Bank, Palestinian Christians find themselves under intense pressure. Taybeh is the last remaining all–Christian town in the West Bank. On Monday July 7 settlers set fire to the cemetery and the Church of St George which dates back to the 5th century.
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches and members of the clergy visited Taybeh in solidarity with the local community following an intensifying trend of systemic and targeted attacks against them and their presence. They asked for the prayers, attention, and action of the world, particularly that of Christians globally.
“These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community first and foremost, but also to the historic and religious heritage of our ancestors and holy sites. In the face of such threats, the greatest act of bravery is to continue to call this your home. We stand with you, we support your resilience, and you have our prayers,” they told the residents.
You can read their account of the visit here.
Our partners in the Dioceses of Jerusalem were represented by the Dean of St George’s College, Jerusalem, Dean Richard Sewell; Fr Fadi Diab, Rector of St Andrew’s Church in Ramallah; and Canon Wadie Far, Pastor to the Arabic–speaking congregation at St George’s Cathedral and Vicar of St Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Writing on social media (and quoted with permission), Dean Sewell said: “Abuna Bashar Fawadleh, the priest of Taybeh Catholic Church spoke powerfully about the grave dangers they are facing and the very real fear because, without intervention, it will simply get worse. He said: ‘We are surrounded by iron gates which fence us in. We are treated as if we were strangers here. But we are not strangers because we belong to the land.’
“The bitter appeal for support is well described in the statement from the Heads of Churches. In truth, the most serious complaint is that this, along with hundreds of other incidents of settler attacks, simply are not dealt with as crimes by the state of Israel and so they go unchecked. It gives every impression that the settlers have the approval of Israel’s governments and they are effectively acting on their behalf. This should be treated with the utmost importance by Israel’s friends and allies.”
Dean Sewell continued: “We prayed together in the ruined ancient church and we were reminded of St Paul’s advice to the Romans, ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’ It should be noted that the people of Taybeh cannot do this alone.
“Also present at the event were representatives of the nearby village of Kafr Malak where settlers recently murdered three villagers. So far no action has been taken against the perpetrators. Whilst in the case of Taybeh, the Christian village named in the Bible as Ephraim (John 11:54) we are highlighting the vulnerability of Christians, this threat is to all Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank. Will the cry be heard and acted upon? Or will the alleged ‘moral complexity’ of it all make it easy to utter a few supportive words and do nothing?”
A series of gathered perspectives from Christian leaders in the Land of the Holy One.
For further information please contact:
Diocesan Communications Officer, Dublin & Glendalough
087 235 6472
Mrs Lynn Glanville
[email protected]