The humanitarian crisis in the occupied West Bank is deepening amid Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
Encouraged by the atrocities of the regime, the settler mob has intensified violence and threats against the Palestinian community.
Last week, church leaders in Teibe, the last Christian majority town on the West Bank, condemned repeated attacks on local farmlands and sacred sites, including St. George, a fifth-century church at the heart of the town’s identity.
“These attacks threaten the safety, dignity and historical roots of our people,” a church representative said.
Residents are increasingly afraid that this organized campaign is designed to be expelled from their homes and destroy their existence on their ancestral lands.
Such violence is part of a broader Israeli strategy that can condemn Palestinian life across the occupying territories.
Successive Israeli regimes have tolerated or encouraged these crimes, using settler militias as proxies to seize Palestinian property under the covers of military occupation.
The current government openly allows for attacks.
Israeli forces regularly side with settlers and eliminate Palestinian inhabitants rather than stopping invaders.
Complaints are rarely accepted, investigations are lacking, and penalties usually arise when a charge is filed.
This intentional immunity nurtured an environment in which settlers acted as an extension of the hands of the Israeli regime.
“Seterer violence is state violence under other names,” the bishop said in a statement.
They urged the British government to end its complacentness and to make it publicly available to respond to the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion declaring Israeli occupations illegal.
The bishops have called on the UK to impose sanctions on individuals, illegal front posts and organizations committing violence against Palestinians.
They also requested that London consider suspending its trade agreement with Israel as a means of accountability.
“The UK has a legal and moral obligation to act decisively against these crimes, which put local stability and the survival of the Christian community in the sacred place,” the statement concluded.
MNA/TSN