The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, was among many Jerusalem-based clerics who have called out the attacks on Christian sites in West Bank, demanding an investigation into why the emergency calls were not responded to by local police.

The clerics visited the Christian town of Taybeh, which they stated was the site of attack on Monday 8 July by radical Israeli settlers who intentionally set fire near the town’s cemetery and the Church of St George (which dates back to the 5th century) as reported by Reuters.

“These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community … but also to the historic and religious heritage,” the patriarch told diplomats and journalists at a press conference in Taybeh.

He stated that they had also attacked homes in the area, adding:

“We call for an immediate and transparent investigation on why the Israeli police did not respond to emergency calls from the local community and why these abhorrent actions continue to go unpunished.”

Israel’s government had previously said that any acts of violence by civilians are unacceptable and that individuals should not take the law into their own hands.

During the visit, the heads of the churches led locals in prayer as candles flickered in the ruins of the Church of St George and spoke with residents who described their fears.

B’Tselem and other rights groups say settler violence in the occupied West Bank has risen since the start of Israel’s war against Palestine’s Gaza in late 2023.

Palestinian health authorities and witnesses said two men, including a US citizen, were killed by settlers during a confrontation on Friday night.

The Patriarchs and Heads of Local Churches of Jerusalem issued a collective statement wherein they said:

“We firmly reject this message of exclusion and reaffirm our commitment to a Holy Land that is a mosaic of different faiths, living peacefully together in dignity and safety.”

Around 50,000 Christian Palestinians live in Jerusalem and in the occupied West Bank, an area that includes many of the faith’s most sacred sites, including Bethlehem, where believers say Jesus was born.

Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 war.