Jerusalem church leaders said on Tuesday that impunity is emboldening Israeli occupiers to carry out attacks in the occupied West Bank. They condemned a recent assault on Palestinian farmers and European diplomats.
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued a statement denouncing Saturday’s attack. Masked Israeli occupiers targeted Palestinians harvesting olives in Taybeh, a predominantly Christian village northeast of Ramallah.
Foreign visitors were also caught in the assault, including European diplomats and officials who had arrived to show solidarity with Palestinian communities facing repeated violence.
The church leaders said the incident was not isolated. They warned of widespread violence directed at Palestinian villages in recent weeks, particularly during the olive harvest.
The statement condemned a religious ruling issued by Israeli Rabbi Dov Lior that permitted Jews to take olives from Palestinian farmers. The church leaders described this as dangerous and unacceptable.
Lior issued the ruling last week. According to Israel’s Channel 13, he claimed that taking Palestinian olives was permissible and even virtuous.
The church leaders welcomed opposition to the ruling from other rabbis and Jewish voices. But the facts on the ground show that these attacks continue because of the impunity enjoyed by those who commit them, the statement said.
The leaders urged Israeli authorities to bring those responsible to justice. They also called on the international community to intensify efforts to protect Palestinians in Taybeh and across the occupied West Bank.
Protection was also requested for foreign visitors expressing solidarity with local communities. The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission has documented more than 14,742 attacks by Israeli occupiers across the West Bank over the past three years.
