Disputed fire by ancient church in Holy Land sparks diplomatic, religious fallout
Israeli police late Monday dismissed reports alleging that Jewish settlers set fire to the archaeological site of the Church of St. George in the village of Taybeh in the West Bank, calling them "factually incorrect," lacking evidence and potentially misleading to the public.
According to police, a probe was launched last Thursday by a specialized team within the Judea and Samaria Central Investigations Unit (YAMAR) under the direction of the district commander. An internal committee was also tasked with reviewing the timeline of events recorded in police information systems, assessing the handling of reports and complaints, and evaluating the response.
"Findings gathered on the ground unequivocally show that no damage or harm was caused to the holy site itself," police said.
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The statement noted that a small fire had occurred in an open area near the site, but no buildings, crops or infrastructure were damaged.
On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee noted on X that Taybeh was "a beautiful village made up of mostly Arab Christians. Glad [the Israel Police] continue [to] search for truth [without] regard to assumptions."
Huckabee pointedly added: "I have NOT attributed the cause of fire to any person or group as we don't know for sure. The press has. I have said that regardless, it was [a] crime [and] deserves consequences."
An exclusive investigation by The Press Service of Israel (TPS-IL) first raised questions over the fire, having uncovered evidence that local Jewish residents had participated in firefighting efforts near the church and raised significant doubts about the cause of the blaze.
TPS-IL also documented additional fires on July 7, 8 and 11 in nearby pastureland, located dozens of meters from the church compound. In each instance, a Jewish farmer with a property adjacent to the site filed complaints with police, claiming the areas where animals were grazing had been deliberately set ablaze.
Last weekend, Huckabee visited Taybeh, where he called for accountability. "To commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship, it is an act of terror, and it is a crime," he said in a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. "There should be consequences, and it should be harsh consequences because it is one of the last bastions of our civilization, the places where we worship."
The visit came after the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of Jerusalem issued a statement claiming that "radical Israelis from nearby settlements intentionally set fire near the town’s cemetery and the Church of Saint George."
A joint statement days earlier from the priests of the three churches in Taybeh – the Greek Orthodox Church, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church – blamed "Israeli settlers" for "deliberately ignit[ing] a fire near the town’s cemetery and the historic Church of Saint George (Al-Khadr), a fifth-century site considered one of the oldest religious landmarks in Palestine."
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III accused "radical Israelis from nearby settlements" of "a targeted attack."
Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told Fox News Digital that Israel must take a more assertive approach in handling incidents that could impact its international standing.
"We are in the middle of the most consequential war since the founding of the state, and events like this are just as dangerous," he said.
He emphasized the importance of reinforcing Israel’s role in safeguarding Christian heritage and holy sites, particularly in contested areas.
"This includes exposing the PLO and Hamas’ ongoing war against Christian citizens, but it also requires transparency and assertiveness in showing our role as guardians of Christian sites and civilization in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem," said Diker.
He also pointed to what he described as a coordinated effort by the Palestinian leadership to undermine Israel’s legitimacy on the global stage, particularly through the media.
"We are in the midst of an international crusade by the Palestinian leadership to uproot our legitimacy," he said. "The international media has become an ecosystem for the defamation and delegitimization of Israel. They are weaponizing every event into an existential assault."
On Monday night, the Binyamin Regional Council, which administers Jewish communities in southern Samaria, confirmed the church incurred no damage.
"Here I am on the outskirts of the church. You can see the apse over here. And even on the outskirts or the outer walls, there are no signs of fire," the council’s international spokeswoman, Eliana Passentin, said in a video.
"We are the guardians of the biblical heartland. This land was given to us by God – there is no reason for us to burn a church or to disrespect anyone else’s religion," she added.
Speaking to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Passentin recalled bringing visitors to the local brewery in Taybeh, which was so well-regarded that a rabbi granted it kosher certification. She noted that Israelis and Christian Arabs had coexisted peacefully in the area for years, but expressed concern that the community now identifies itself with a Palestinian state that does not formally exist.
"When I was walking around, one of the priests in Taybeh said he believed in the two-state solution and it felt as if the P.A. was putting a lot of pressure on the Christians," Passentin said.
She suggested that the latest crisis was manufactured by those seeking to divide Jews and Christians, whom she described as joint guardians of Judea and Samaria.
"We are striving for peace," she said. "This is the land of the Bible, and we should be building it together – not fighting or spreading false blood libels accusing Jews of burning down a church."