NEWS PROVIDED BY
The Vulnerable People Project
Oct. 8, 2026
TAYBEH, WEST BANK, Oct. 8, 2026 /Standard Newswire/ — The Vulnerable People Project (VPP) is calling for immediate protection of Christian families in Taybeh after Fr. Bashar Fawadleh, the town’s Latin Patriarchate priest, warned that Israeli settlers are taking Palestinian families’ olive harvest and damaging their trees while landowners face restrictions on reaching their own farms.
As VPP News’ October 8 field report details, settlers entered agricultural land east and south of Taybeh on October 7 and harvested olives from Palestinian-owned trees. The report describes photos and video documenting the activity, along with broken branches, damaged trees, and sheep believed to belong to settlers grazing among crops.
“These are families trying to feed their children from trees their parents and grandparents tended,” said Jason Jones, president and founder of VPP. “When their harvest is stolen and their trees are damaged, their ability to remain in the Holy Land is under attack. Christians in America need to raise their voices while these families still have a future to defend.”
VPP News identified Neriya Ben Pazi among the settlers participating in the harvest theft. The United States sanctioned Ben Pazi in March 2024; those sanctions were lifted in January 2025.
Witnesses and local documentation cited by VPP News also reported the theft of olive-picking mats from the home of Taybeh resident Bashir Kuna and an assault on a foreign activist who filmed settlers collecting olives. The report describes repeated harassment and attacks on the Kuna family’s property.
The latest incidents followed an October 5 attack on farmers from nearby Rammun who were harvesting southeast of Taybeh. VPP News reported that Israeli forces restrained several farmers and that a Palestinian ambulance was unable to reach injured people amid road closures.
Fr. Fawadleh warns that restrictions on landowners, theft of their harvest and damage to their trees threaten families’ livelihoods. Broken branches and neglected trees can mean losses extending beyond the current season, weakening families’ ability to remain on land cultivated for generations.
VPP calls on U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and the State Department to press Israeli authorities to stop the theft and violence, protect residents and observers, ensure accountability for those responsible, and secure farmers’ safe access to their land. Emergency medical access must also be guaranteed.
VPP urges Christian newsrooms, church leaders, and public officials to amplify Fr. Fawadleh’s warning and demand concrete answers about the protection of Taybeh’s families.
“To every Christian editor, broadcaster, and pastor: tell your people what is happening in Taybeh – the last remaining all-Christian town in the West Bank,” Jones said. “Ask what is being done to protect these families, and keep asking until they can work their land in safety.”
Read the full report at VPP News and learn how to support these communities at SaveWestBankChristians.com.
PRESS CONTACT
Stephen Herreid
Advocacy Messaging Manager, Vulnerable People ProjectStephen@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