Originally published at The Crux
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Attacks by masked Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank have been condemned by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem — including the leaders of Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Churches.
The Oct. 19 letter specifically referred to the Oct. 17 assault on the Christian village of Taybeh, when masked settlers attacked local residents during the olive harvest, as well as foreign guests, including diplomats and officials from European countries.
Israeli settlers targeted Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said.
He linked the attack to Israel’s “illegal settlement policy” and pledged to push for further European Union sanctions. “Impunity for violent settlers must end,” he added.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned the attack as a “despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards” and said they should spend years in prison. Israel’s president and several opposition politicians also spoke out against the attack.
Taybeh is one of the only Christian majority villages in Palestine.
“This wild attack on the Christian village of Taybeh and against its peaceful population is not an isolated incident,” the Christian leaders claimed.
“In the past weeks the Palestinian villages of the West Bank have been exposed to a wide-scale terror
