REFRAMING PERSECUTION: Who Owns the Narrative?
After more than 40 years of serving the persecuted Church, I’ve come to a sobering realisation that for many Christians in the West, the story of persecution often centres more on condemning the persecutor than assisting the persecuted. We love to point fingers at those we deem to be enemies of the church, as shaped by our world views, but do little to alleviate the pain of the suffering of fellow believers.
We speak fervently of the suffering Church in Iran, denouncing a regime that weaponises religion to crush the followers of Christ. But we do little to relieve the suffering of those who are isolated and oppressed. We highlight the brutality of North Korea, where a dictator spares no effort to silence believers and raze churches. But our solidarity stretches as far as our words. We rally around International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, quoting 1 Corinthians 12:26—“If one member suffers, all suffer together”—as if to declare our universal, unconditional solidarity. But, in all truth, we don’t really all suffer together.
However, even more concerning is the fact that our solidarity has become selective.
We amplify the pain that fits our worldview and mute the cries that disturb our conscience.
We have grown numb to suffering in certain regions—not because the pain is less, but because acknowledging it would require us to confront our biased, uncomfortable truths.
If this sounds offensive, then please continue reading.
Yes, we’ve rightly recognised that Islamic extremism is a major source of Christian persecution. And we do not hesitate to point it out. We love to demonise nations, religions, and people groups because of their animosity. We’ve prayed for believers in Afghanistan, Yemen, China and North Korea. We’ve pointed to Iran as a threat and hailed Israel’s recent attacks as moments of liberation and beacons of hope.
But we refused to look beneath the surface.
TAYBEH – SELECTIVE SOLIDARITY
On 7 July 2025, the last remaining all-Christian town in the West Bank—Taybeh—came under severe and violent attack. Fires were ignited near its ancient Christian cemetery, and churches were targeted, including the 5th-century Church of the Greens, one of the oldest places of worship in Palestine.
But these attacks were not carried out by Hamas.
It was not the work of Islamic extremists or their Muslim neighbours.
The attacks were the work of Israeli settlers.
The Christian leaders of Taybeh—representing its Latin, Greek Catholic, and Greek Orthodox communities—issued a desperate appeal to the international community for protection and justice. But their cries were met with deafening silence. Few Christian media outlets reported the incident. The global Church, for the most part, remained untouched and unmoved.
TAYBEH
Taybeh is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, located about 15 kilometres northeast of Jerusalem and 12 kilometres northeast of Ramallah. Taybeh is notable for several reasons:
- It is the only all-Christian town in Palestine, known for its deep-rooted Christian heritage.
- The village features Byzantine and Crusader-era church ruins, including the Church of St. George.
- Its name, Taybeh, means “the goodly” in Arabic—a name said to have been given by Saladin in recognition of the villagers’ hospitality. Historically, it is identified with the biblical town of Ephraim, where Jesus withdrew with His disciples before His final journey to Jerusalem (John 11:54).
- This is not just a village—it is a living testimony to Christian endurance in the land of Christ’s birth.
NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT
Sadly, 7 July was not an isolated incident. Just days earlier, on 26 June, around 100 Israeli settlers stormed the eastern entrance of Taybeh, setting fires and damaging Christian property. That same night, they descended on the neighbouring village of Kafr Malik, killing three Palestinians and torching homes and vehicles.
WHEN NARRATIVES DO NOT FIT
Had these churches been attacked by Hamas, the global Christian community would have erupted in outrage. Had the perpetrators been Muslim extremists, headlines would have blazed across Western media. Persecution that fits our narratives are always easy to condemn. But because the attackers were Israeli settlers—aligned with a state many Christians view as sacred—the response was silence. The narrative was too inconvenient. Too complex. Too disruptive to cherished alliances and theological frameworks.
And so, the persecuted were left to suffer not only violence but neglect, abandoned by a Church that often chooses affiliation with the persecutor over compassion for the persecuted.
If this unsettles you, it should. Because solidarity that is selective is not solidarity at all, and a Church that cannot weep with all who suffer has lost its prophetic voice.
In a statement issued on 8 July, Rev Dr Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian Christian and the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, he directed a clear appeal to the world, expressing deep concern about the increasing and documented attacks by Israeli settlers on the town’s land, holy sites, and properties, amidst official silence that exacerbates the sense of danger and lack of protection.
The statement, issued by Father Dawood Khoury, Father Jacques-Noble Abed, and Father Bishara Fawaz, described what is happening in the town as “a serious series of systematic attacks” that not only threaten the town’s security and stability but also aim to undermine the dignity of its Christian residents and tamper with their historical and religious heritage.
According to the statement, the recent incidents were not isolated but part of daily attacks that have become familiar to the residents of Taybeh.
The settlers continue to graze their livestock on the town’s agricultural lands, including private fields near homes, without facing any legal or security deterrent. This activity not only constitutes provocation but also leads to direct damage to olive trees, which are a primary source of livelihood for Christian families, and prevents farmers from accessing and working on their lands freely.
The statement pointed out that the eastern part of Taybeh, which represents more than half of the town’s area and hosts most of its agricultural activity, is particularly threatened by the expansion of illegal settlement outposts that are expanding quietly under military protection and serve as a launchpad for new attacks on residents and their lands.
The priests warned that silence in the face of these attacks is no longer possible. Taybeh, known as “Aphram” in the Bible and where Jesus Christ sought refuge before his Passion and crucifixion, is today the last Palestinian town with an absolute Christian majority in the West Bank. Its Christian presence, rooted for two thousand years and carefully preserved through generations, is today facing the danger of being emptied due to multi-front targeting: land, holy sites, and people.
In conclusion, the priests directed a clear appeal to consuls, ambassadors, and church representatives around the world, calling for an immediate and transparent investigation into the incidents of arson and attacks, and pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to prevent settlers from entering the town’s lands and to send international field missions to document violations.
They also demanded support for the residents of Taybeh through economic, agricultural, and effective legal initiatives, emphasizing that “the Holy Land cannot remain alive without its original inhabitants.”
The priests concluded their statement with a phrase that encapsulates the situation and the tragedy: “The displacement of farmers from their land, the threat to their churches, and the siege of their town is a stab to the heart of this nation. Yet, our hope remains firm: that right and justice will ultimately prevail.
- https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/52772
- https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Four-Palestinians-dead-in-settler-violence%2C-Christian-village-of-Taybeh-also-attacked-63379.html#google_vignette
- https://www.gulf-insider.com/last-christian-town-in-west-bank-attacked/