Father Jack-Nobel Abed, of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church, hosted US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on a tour in Taybeh today.
He told Channel 12 news: “There have already been four arson attacks by settlers in our village. The latest was last Friday near the sixth-century Byzantine church — too close to its walls, which were burned, and to the cemetery walls and the surrounding area. Two weeks ago, they also set fire to our chicken coops.
“When I arrived and saw the damage, I almost cried. Nothing like this has happened to us since I’ve been in the village, for 35 years,” he said.
He added: “I personally filed almost 14 complaints at the Sha’ar Binyamin police station, and still nothing happened – we didn’t receive any response. Unfortunately, the police have done nothing, and for almost two years I’ve been filing complaints there, and they haven’t lifted a finger.
“There is fear among the residents because the settlers act with impunity – they beat people and bring weapons. Even so, many settlers from Kokhav HaShahar come to our village to buy bread, eggs, oil – everything – at our stores. We have good relations with everyone in the area. Nothing happened to us until these specific settlers arrived and started causing trouble. I still believe in coexistence.”