Ammon News - Representing His Majesty King Abdullah II, Patriarch Theophilos III, patriarch of the Holy City and all Palestine and Jordan, delivered a speech on Monday during a solidarity visit to Taybeh, east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, following escalating attacks by Israeli settlers that threaten one of the Holy Land's Christian heritage sites.

In the speech, His Majesty condemned recent attacks by Israeli settlers on the historic Church of Saint George (Al-Khader) and the Christian cemetery in the town of Taybeh, where they set fire near the cemetery, as a barbaric and flagrant violation of the sanctity of the dead, Christian holy sites, and Christian presence in the Holy Land.

The enormity of attacks, the settlers' daily terrorizing of Palestinians, and systematic assaults against dozens of villages, cities, and refugee camps in the occupied Palestinian territories require a firm international response to halt the aggression, particularly the genocide against children, women, the elderly, and civilians in the Gaza Strip, the King said.

His Majesty called for protection of unarmed Palestinians, their holy sites and the right to live in freedom and dignity and establish their state on their national soil, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

A delegation of the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem joined in the visit, along with the pastor of the Latin Monastery Church in Taybeh, Father Bashar Fawadleh, Jordanian Ambassador to the State of Palestine, Issam Al-Bdour and Taybeh Mayor, Suleiman Khoury.

During the visit to Al-Khader St. George Church, one of the most ancient churches in Palestine, and Taybeh Christian cemetery and lands threatened with confiscation by the Israeli occupation authorities, the delegation were briefed on settler attacks on the town, its lands, property, and Christian holy sites.

The Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem demanded that settlers who perpetrated attacks against the church and cemetery be held accountable, and said the Israeli occupation authorities is fully responsible for facilitating such attacks.

They also called for protection of Christian holy sites in the town in particular and the Palestinian territories in general, and an investigation to punish the extremist settlers for the violations against Taybeh, the city of Christ.

In an interview with Petra's reporter in Ramallah, Taybeh Mayor Suleiman Khoury commended His Majesty's support of the Palestinians and the Jordanian government and people for their stand with Taybeh during "these difficult circumstances that were imposed by the occupation authority and the settlers and targeted the Christian presence in Palestine.

Khoury said His Majesty's speech and the visit of the church delegation had an impact in supporting the people of Taybeh, raising their morale, and strengthening their resilience in the face of barbaric assaults. Petra