The IDF has surrounded the last Christian town in the West Bank as Israeli settlers have clashed with the local population.
Taybeh, close to Ramallah, has now been declared a “closed military zone” by the Israeli Defence Forces after months of repeated attacks by Israeli settlers.
Settlers had previously used arson to intimidate the town’s Christian inhabitants, as well as fan the flames with leaf blowers.
A few of the churches within Taybeh date back to the fifth century; however, over recent decades, the number of Israeli settlements has vastly increased.
Father Bashar Fawadleh, the parish priest of Christ the Redeemer Church in Taybeh, told The Telegraph: “The declaration of Taybeh as a closed military zone for non-resident Israelis may be a positive step if it is genuinely and consistently enforced to prevent settlers from entering our lands and carrying out further attacks.
“What matters to us, however, is not the announcement itself, but what happens on the ground in the coming days and weeks.
“For months, our community has experienced repeated incursions into private and agricultural lands, intimidation of families and workers, fires, armed presence, the entry of settlers and their livestock onto private property and attempts to establish a permanent presence around the village.
“These incidents have created fear and are threatening the normal life and future of our Christian community.”
The town’s mayor, Suleiman Khoury, has said restricting foreign visitors will only make the situation in the town worse.
Attacks on the town have even received condemnation from Mick Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel.
Mr Huckabee is an Evangelical Christian pastor.
In June, Israeli settlers obstructed Palestinians from putting out a large fire, according to Palestinian civil defence firefighters.
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A local priest described the actions as an “ongoing pattern of intimidation and unjustified violence” that undermined fundamental rights.
It comes as an Israeli Air Force drone operator spoke to GB News on his key role in strikes on Iran.
Major D commands a drone team that has been striking Iranian missile launchers, stockpiles and the regime’s air defences. He told GB News that for him, this war is personal.
“This operation … will remove a threat on Israel, but (also) personally on the future of my kid,” he said.
“We see the ballistic missile threat as a threat against each one’s family and the future of my family. Hopefully this operation will remove the threat for many years or forever.”
The IDF has come under heavy criticism for the civilian death toll in its war in Gaza against Hamas following the October 7 massacre. The Hamas terror group relies on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, to protect its fighters and weaponry.
But in Iran, Major D insisted the targets were much easier to destroy, saying: “This is not a war with a terror organisation. This is a war with an army. Usually, most of them are not in civilian areas, even though we’ve seen some of these as well.”
Asked about the legal process required to sign off on strikes, the IDF officer said: “It’s a target, it’s going to kill people in Israel or in other countries, and we destroy it before or after it does.”
“I look at it as if it is an orchestra,” Major D said, adding: “Some of the targets are pinpoints, rocket launchers, ground-to-air missiles, and some of them are things that are meant to disabled the enemy’s way of funding the war, and that’s part of the orchestra.”
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