On July 11, 2025, Anthony J. Limberakis, MD, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Archon Grand Aktouarios, issued a statement in which he writes that the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate “note with dismay and indignation the attack by Israeli settlers on the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank.”
According to a statement from the priests of the three churches in Taybeh, Father Daoud Khoury of the Greek Orthodox Church, Father Jacques-Noble Abed of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and Father Bashar Fawadleh of the Roman Catholic Church, the incident took place on Monday, July 7, 2025, when Israeli “settlers deliberately set fire near the town’s cemetery and the historic Church of Saint George (Al-Khadr), dating back to the 5th century―one of the oldest religious landmarks in Palestine.”
The three priests stated that they “strongly condemn the ongoing and grave series of attacks targeting Taybeh,” and Archon Limberakis writes that the Archons join that condemnation. “These assaults,” the priests explain, “threaten the security and stability of our town and aim at undermining the dignity of its residents and the sanctity of its sacred land.”
The priests point out that Taybeh is “the place to which Jesus withdrew before His Passion (John 11:54),” and note that it is the last town in the West Bank that is populated entirely by Christians.
They further stress that they “cannot remain silent in the face of these relentless attacks that threaten our very existence on this land,” explaining that Taybeh’s “wholly Christian population represents a unique presence in the region, a living testimony that dates back to the time of Christ.”
This “enduring spiritual and cultural legacy, preserved faithfully by the people of Taybeh across generations, is now at serious risk of erosion and displacement due to the systematic targeting of land, sacred places, and the local community.”
Archon Limberakis further writes that the priests of Taybeh “call upon political and religious leaders worldwide to undertake four initiatives in the face of Israeli settler violence: ‘Launch an immediate and transparent investigation into the incidents of arson and the ongoing assaults on property, agricultural land, and holy sites; apply diplomatic pressure on the occupying authorities to halt settler actions and prevent them from entering or grazing in Taybeh’s lands; dispatch international and church delegations to conduct field visits, document the damages, and bear witness to the deteriorating reality on the ground; support the people of Taybeh through economic and agricultural initiatives, and strengthen their resilience with effective legal accompaniment.'”
Closing his letter, he stressed that the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate echo this call, for they, too “‘believe that the Holy Land cannot remain alive without its indigenous people,'” and urged the Archons to “join together in earnest prayer for the Christians of Taybeh, and for all victims of violence in this troubled region.”
