Church leaders, diplomats urge action against Israeli settler attacks in occupied West Bank
Delegates from over 20 countries—including the UK, Russia, China, Japan, Jordan, and members of the European Union—visited the town on Monday in a show of solidarity with the local Palestinian community.
Speaking in Taybeh, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III and Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa condemned a recent attack in which settlers set fire to land near a church.
They accused Israeli authorities of failing to respond to urgent calls for help during the incident.
A visit by the head clergymen of several Christian denominations to the fifth-century Church of St George in the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, July 14, 2025 (AFP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill 12, in deadliest attack since November truce
Israeli strikes on Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Tuesday killed 12 people, the region's governor, Bachir Khodr, told Reuters. It marks the deadliest air strikes since a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hezbollah in November. Israel has breached the ceasefire and carried out strikes on a near-daily basis. A security source told Reuters that five of the dead were Hezbollah fighters. Khodr said seven of the dead were Syrian nationals. Syrians often work in the agricultural fields of the Bekaa region.
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Jordan targeting Gaza solidarity in largest arrest campaign in decades
Over the past two months, Jordan's intelligence agency has detained and interrogated hundreds of people who have shown solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in what is the largest arrest campaign to have taken place in the kingdom in decades. According to information obtained by Middle East Eye from multiple sources in Jordan, a widespread campaign led by the General Intelligence Department (GID) is targeting activists and anyone who has sent financial donations or other kinds of support to the victims of Israel's war on Gaza. One detainee, who spoke to MEE on condition of anonymity, said: 'The investigation was done purely for the sake of Israel. Jordan had nothing to do with it.' A Jordanian political source, who also requested anonymity for security reasons, said that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were two other forces driving the arrest campaign, with Jordan hoping to get financial aid from Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in return. Those targeted are being arrested and interrogated without legal charges being brought against them. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters According to multiple detainees, most of arrested are interrogated and then released without anyone knowing what has happened to them. Intelligence officers have, the sources said, threatened those they arrest and told them not to say anything about what has happened to them. They are told that if they do reveal anything, they will be re-arrested. According to those arrested who spoke to MEE, the intelligence officers also told them not to say that their disappearance was due to their arrest. Aside from the hundreds of people who have been arrested, others are told to voluntarily report for interrogation in daylight hours. At the end of the day, they are told to report back again the next day, with the process often continuing for several days. According to multiple sources, most, if not all, of the detainees were interrogated about their solidarity with Gaza. The investigations focused on sending donations, financial support or in-kind aid to the war's victims in the Palestinian enclave. Largest crackdown in decades An arrest campaign of this size has not occurred in Jordan since the 'democratic transition' of 1989, when King Hussein ended the state of emergency, which the government had used as a pretext for committing human rights violations, including extrajudicial arrests. Alongside this new wave of arrests, there is a growing sense of anger among the Jordanian public. Hundreds of detainees are being held in intelligence prisons without access to the outside world, lawyers or trial. Behind each detainee is a family, and sometimes a large tribe, upset about the disappearance of their loved one and the lack of information about them. Why did Jordan ban the Muslim Brotherhood? Read More » Last week, tribesmen from the city of Tafilah gathered and organised a sit-in near the intelligence headquarters in Amman to demand the release of 72-year-old Ahmed al-Zarqan, a former mayor of the southern Jordanian city. The event was unprecedented. Al-Zarqan is the deputy general supervisor of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was recently banned in the Hashemite kingdom. Security forces arrested him in late April. To date, Zarqan has not been charged, referred to court, or allowed to contact a lawyer. His family has not been allowed to visit him. Khaled al-Juhani, head of the Islamic Action Front bloc in the Jordanian parliament and another prominent political activist, was also arrested in April. In September, the Islamic Action Front received 32 percent of the votes in Jordan's parliamentary elections, winning 31 seats. Hamza Bani Issa, a political activist, was arrested months ago for participating in peaceful demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza. His eyesight was impacted after he was severely beaten on the head. His story only came to light after his mother, Arwa al-Tal, broke her silence, recording a video statement in which she said that what had happened to her son set a 'dangerous precedent'. She said her son had lost his sight following the assault by security forces and that he was subsequently accused of assaulting them. The 'armed group' making weapons for Palestine In May, as part of the same campaign of arrests, Hamza Khader, the head of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in Jordan, was arrested. He was detained for several weeks and then released after intelligence officers asked him to remain silent and not reveal what happened to him during his detention. In a further sign of the widespread targeting of opposition groups and political Islam in Jordan – which the Jordanian political source said was instigated by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel - Jamil Abu Bakr, the 74-year-old deputy secretary-general of the Islamic Action Front was also detained for 48 hours and subjected to prolonged interrogation before being released. Jordan targets organisations over alleged links to Muslim Brotherhood Read More » The campaign of arrests followed the announcement in mid-April by the GID of the arrest of an 'armed group' consisting of 16 individuals who were allegedly intending to provide support and assistance to Palestinian resistance groups in the occupied West Bank. According to the intelligence report, three of these 16 individuals had established an underground missile factory in the Jordanian city of Zarqa, while three others intended to manufacture military drones. This story quickly became a popular topic of conversation among Jordanians, although many remained unconvinced. The government was subsequently forced to issue a ban on publication or discussion of the case, whether in the media or on social media. Several social media accounts made fun of the idea that three young men had established a missile factory in Jordan. One wrote: 'This number is not enough to establish a popular cafe on the highway between Amman and Zarqa.' Others ridiculed the claim that three young men, including a university student in his twenties, were manufacturing drones for military purposes.
Al Etihad
an hour ago
- Al Etihad
'Operation Chivalrous Knight 3' launches largest water supply project from Egypt to southern Gaza
15 July 2025 20:29 GAZA (WAM) The UAE's ''Operation Chivalrous Knight 3'' has announced the launch of the largest desalinated water supply project from Egypt to southern Gaza, as part of its emergency response to the deepening water crisis in the besieged a press conference held at the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) headquarters in Deir al Balah, the operation revealed that a new 315mm water transmission line, stretching 6.7 kilometres, is now under construction. The pipeline will connect the UAE-established desalination plant on the Egyptian side to a displacement area between Khan Younis and Rafah project is expected to provide 15 litres of desalinated water per person daily, benefiting around 600,000 residents in southern Gaza, where more than 80% of water infrastructure has been destroyed due to the dire ongoing developments in Gaza Al-Nayrab, media director for Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 in Gaza, stated, 'This new water pipeline is more than a rapid response to the urgent thirst crisis in Gaza; it is a continuation of the UAE's unwavering commitment to supporting the Palestinian people, particularly in the face of the humanitarian disaster caused by war.'He added that the UAE has consistently led relief efforts in Gaza, from building desalination stations and delivering water tankers to drilling wells and maintaining water networks, culminating in this vital initiative aimed at securing safe drinking water for the most affected Shatat, Deputy Director-General of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility for Technical Affairs, expressed gratitude to the UAE, which has been on the frontlines of humanitarian support since the onset of the noted that UAE-funded projects have helped municipalities and civil society institutions maintain essential services amid extremely challenging Abu Shammala, a representative of civil society in Gaza, praised the UAE's crucial role and the humanitarian projects implemented under the Operation Chivalrous Knight also emphasised that initiatives like this provide residents with access to safe and healthy water, strengthening their resilience in the face of persistent crises. This initiative marks a new chapter in Operation Chivalrous Knight 3's efforts to repair critical infrastructure in Gaza, particularly in the water sector, and is part of broader UAE-led humanitarian operations to mitigate the disaster and support the steadfastness of the local population.
