Violent clashes erupted in the Christian West Bank village of Taybeh on June 26, as Israeli settlers attacked homes and set a fire at the eastern entrance of the village. The rampage resulted in the deaths of three people from the neighboring village of Kafr Malik, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Father Bashar Basiel, a priest at Christ the Redeemer Parish, described the situation as “barbarism and brutality” and stated that Palestinians are living under the direct protection of the Israeli occupation army. He vowed that Palestinians would resist with their faith.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities reported that dozens of civilians set fire to property in Kafr Malik, sparking a confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) deployed troops and police to the scene, where several people were shot and killed.
Taybeh resident Nadim Khoury, owner of the Taybeh Brewery and Winery, described the escalating situation as “no one is stopping them.” He claimed that settlers have been encroaching on Taybeh agricultural land with their sheep and cows, preventing farmers from reaching their crops. The Israeli government’s recent decision to establish 22 new settlements throughout the West Bank has also fueled tensions.
The situation in the West Bank has worsened since the war in Gaza, with Palestinian shepherds and Israel activists alleging that soldiers and police often fail to intervene against settlers, instead seeming to support them.
Source: https://www.osvnews.com/israeli-settlers-attack-christian-village-in-west-bank-leaving-3-dead-and-homes-burned