We forget that Palestinian communities continue to face pressure from Israeli settlers. Bishop James Curry, Roman Catholic Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has called on the Israeli government to “find a way of protecting the legitimate communities from settler violence”, in response to the Israeli military declaring the last Christian town in the West Bank a closed military zone.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had closed the village of Taybeh to “protect the citizens of the area and to maintain order” as a result of repeated attacks by settlers. But Bishop Curry’s view was that it was “far from clear” that the move would achieve that objective.
“The Israeli government must find a way of protecting the legitimate communities from settler violence whilst allowing citizens to go about their normal business. This ban will lead to a vital loss of income from tourism and pilgrimages and, thereby, international scrutiny on the situation”, said the Bishop.
Please pray for all legitimate communities in the West Bank and elsewhere that are under threat from others who wish to drive them out.
Read the full article in the Catholic Herald here.