Palestinian Church Committee Condemns Homes Demolished and Christians Evicted

A Palestinian church affairs committee has condemned the demolition of homes belonging to a Christian family in Birzeit and the forced removal of another family from its home in Taybeh, two Christian communities in the Ramallah area.

The High Presidential Committee for Church Affairs said Israeli occupation forces demolished two four-story residential buildings belonging to the Abed family in Birzeit, north of Ramallah. It also accused settlers of threatening and attacking the Bashir Naim Kuna family, which was forced to leave its home in Taybeh, east of Ramallah.

The committee said the Kuna family had only lived in the newly built and furnished house for one week. It described the demolitions, dispossession and forced evictions as violations of international law and part of a systematic policy aimed at taking Palestinian land and homes and enabling colonial settlements through violence.

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This is the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.

The committee stressed that Palestinian Christians form an inseparable part of the Palestinian people, history and identity. It said targeting their houses, land and property therefore affects Palestinian presence more broadly.

Zachary Foster, a historian and editor-in-chief of Palestine Nexus, told Al Jazeera that settler violence, home demolitions and forced evictions had reached record levels because of competition within Israel’s governing coalition. “This is the most right-wing government in Israel’s history,” Foster said, adding that parties were competing to appear toughest toward Palestinians. He said intensified mass attacks began in October 2023 and had not eased. The committee called on the international community to meet its legal and political responsibilities and pursue accountability.

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That is how you win elections in Israel.