Israeli Army Surrounds Last Christian Town in West Bank
The Israeli army (IDF) has declared the Christian town of Taybeh – the last entirely Christian community in the occupied West Bank – a ‘closed military zone’ – prohibiting Israelis, foreign nationals, and journalists from entering. The army says this is to protect Taybeh from the illegal settlers that have been attacking the town for months.
Taybeh Mayor Suleiman Khoury said that restricting foreign visitors will have a serious economic impact because Taybeh is a popular religious and tourist destination with hotels, restaurants and other businesses relying heavily on visitors.
But the ban also means international activists, human rights observers, and journalists will no longer be able to enter the village to document or respond to the daily attacks by Israeli settlers. Many observers have noted that the IDF has tended to stand by and watch while ‘settlers’ have rampaged through Christian land and homes in Taybeh.
Ihab Hassan, a Palestinian Christian human rights advocate wrote: “This is a deeply alarming new measure and another step by the Israeli government and army toward the ethnic cleansing of the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank. They want to do it in silence – without witnesses, without journalists, and without the world noticing.
“Instead of arresting the settler terrorists responsible for these attacks, the authorities are banning the journalists and activists who document them from entering the village. (Read more from “Israeli Army Surrounds Last Christian Town in West Bank” HERE)
