NEWS PROVIDED BY
The Vulnerable People Project
Oct. 12, 2026
TAYBEH, WEST BANK, Oct. 12, 2026 /Standard Newswire/ — The Vulnerable People Project (VPP) is calling on American officials and Christian media organizations to take urgent action on behalf of Christians in the West Bank after Taybeh resident Bashir Kouna told the organization that an Israeli settler publicly threatened to behead him. Threats and repeated attacks have now forced Kouna and his family from their newly built home.
In an exclusive interview highlighted in VPP News’ weekly situation report, Kouna described a campaign of intimidation that included repeated damage to his property and the theft of surveillance cameras. After the beheading threat, he moved his family out of the house he had only recently finished building in Taybeh, the West Bank’s last entirely Christian village.
“A Christian father should not have to choose between keeping his home and keeping his family alive,” said Jason Jones, president and founder of VPP. “Least of all in the Holy Land, and especially when there are millions of Christians here in the United States with the influence and power at our disposal to intervene.”
“Bashir built a home for his family in the land where Christianity began,” Jones said. “A threat to cut off his head was only the latest in a string of radical Jewish settler actions that ultimately drove this Christian family out. Christians in America need to know his name and demand that his family be protected.”
The family’s displacement was previously documented by the Palestinian news agency WAFA on August 31. According to that report, Kouna spent seven years building the house, but his family left just one week after moving in because of repeated attacks and fear for their safety.
The harassment has continued. Kouna told VPP that settlers entered his home on October 7 and took his olive-harvesting nets to use illegally on Palestinian-owned trees elsewhere around Taybeh. VPP’s weekly report says those responsible for the attacks and threats have faced no arrests or charges.
VPP calls on U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and the State Department to press Israeli authorities to protect the Kouna family, investigate the beheading threat and associated attacks, and hold those responsible accountable. The family must be able to return home safely, and Taybeh’s residents must be able to work their land without threats or theft.
“We are asking Christian editors, pastors and public officials to speak up for this family,” Jones said. “Any American can contact his or her representatives in Congress. You can also ask Ambassador Huckabee’s office what is being done to help this family return home safely – and that’s especially vital for those Christians entrusted with the work of journalists and news editors.”
Read VPP News’ weekly situation report and learn how to support these communities at SaveWestBankChristians.com.
PRESS CONTACT: Stephen Herreid, Advocacy Messaging Manager, Vulnerable People Project, Stephen@TheGreatCampaign.org, 603-262-0829
ABOUT THE VULNERABLE PEOPLE PROJECT
Founded by filmmaker, author and human rights advocate Jason Jones, the Vulnerable People Project provides humanitarian aid and advocates for communities facing violence, persecution and displacement. VPP defends the dignity of vulnerable people across religious and national boundaries.
SOURCE The Vulnerable People Project