TAYBEH – Sanad Sahelia / Nabd El-Hayat – A German parliamentary delegation, accompanied by representatives of the German Representative Office in Ramallah, visited Taybeh, the last entirely Christian town in the occupied West Bank, to gain a firsthand understanding of the growing challenges facing the community amid escalating settler violence targeting the town and its surrounding areas.
The delegation was welcomed at the Latin Parish compound by Father Bashar Fawadleh, Parish Priest of the Latin Church in Taybeh, alongside Taybeh Mayor Suleiman Khourieh, Father Daoud Khoury, Parish Priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, and Father Jack-Noble Abed, Parish Priest of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Their joint reception symbolized the unity of Taybeh's Christian churches and civic leadership in defending the town, its people, and its historic Christian presence.
The parliamentary delegation included Dr. Ralf Stegner, Member of the German Bundestag, member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, and Chair of the Subcommittee on Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation; Boris Mijatović, Member of the Bundestag representing Alliance 90/The Greens, Chair of the Subcommittee on the United Nations, International Organizations and Civil Crisis Prevention, and member of the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Human Rights; Kathrin Vogler, Member of the Bundestag and coordinator of The Left parliamentary group on the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid; and Dr. Rainer Rothfuß, Member of the Bundestag. Representatives of the German Representative Office in Ramallah also took part in the visit.
Addressing the delegation, Father Bashar Fawadleh presented an overview of Taybeh's current reality, highlighting the repeated attacks carried out by Israeli settlers and their direct impact on the safety, security, and daily lives of local residents. He stressed that despite these mounting challenges, the people of Taybeh remain steadfast in their faith and deeply committed to preserving their historic presence in the last entirely Christian town in the West Bank.
Father Fawadleh said: “We are not asking for privileges. We are asking for the rights guaranteed by international law to every human being, the right to life, security, dignity, freedom of worship, and to remain in the land of our ancestors. For us, the Holy Land is not merely a historical site, it is where God became incarnate in human history. Safeguarding the Christian presence here is therefore not only about protecting a local community, but about preserving the living memory of the Gospel and a message that continues to call the world to justice, peace, and reconciliation”.
Mayor Suleiman Khourieh outlined the direct impact of the ongoing attacks on daily life in Taybeh, explaining that assaults on agricultural land and private property, coupled with economic hardship, restrictions on movement, and the absence of a political horizon, have become serious obstacles to the community's resilience and its ability to remain on its ancestral land.
Father Daoud Khoury and Father Jacques-Noble Abed emphasized that the repeated attacks target not only individuals and property but also the historic and spiritual fabric of Taybeh itself. They warned that these developments pose a growing threat to the Christian presence in the Holy Land and underscored the importance of strengthening international solidarity, protecting civilians, and safeguarding freedom of worship and holy sites in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law.
The participants stressed that protecting civilians, guaranteeing freedom of worship, safeguarding holy sites, and respecting private property are fundamental obligations under international law and international humanitarian law. They called on the international community to take more effective measures to ensure these principles are upheld and to strengthen the resilience of local communities throughout the Holy Land.
At the conclusion of the meeting, members of the German delegation received documentation detailing the attacks carried out against Taybeh over recent months, including eyewitness testimonies, photographs, and verified data documenting the extent of the damage and violations. They also received an official Briefing Paper containing recommendations based on international law, international humanitarian law, and international human rights standards, with the aim of bringing the initiative before the German Bundestag and relevant European institutions.
The visit comes as Taybeh, like many Palestinian towns and villages across the West Bank, continues to witness a sharp increase in settler violence. Recent incidents have included attacks on civilians, the burning of agricultural land, destruction of private property, assaults on churches and religious sites, and the establishment of settlement and pastoral outposts around Palestinian communities, all amid deteriorating security and economic conditions.
Residents warn that unless these violations are effectively addressed and civilians are afforded meaningful protection, they will continue to accelerate the erosion of the Palestinian Christian presence in the Holy Land, threatening a religious, cultural, and historical heritage of universal significance that belongs not only to Palestine, but to humanity as a whole.