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Taybeh exposes claims Christians are “treated better in Israel” than in Arab countries
By Ray Hanania
Chicago, IL – During a public speech days before the Christian celebration of Christmas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bragged that “Israel is the only country in the Middle East that grants Christians full religious freedom … and is growing and prospering.”
But leaders in the only Christian village under Israeli control in the West Bank, Taybeh (Taibe), contend Israel’s government, its military and its heavily armed settlers persecute Christians, assault them, and have confiscated more than one-third of their farmlands.
Fuoad Muaddi, whose family has lived in the only all-Christian village of Taybeh under under Israeli control, pulled the wool off the Israeli lie during a webinar broadcast Tuesday, hosted by the organization Eyewitness Palestine and attended by Arab News.
“We don’t have anyone to protect us. The Palestinian Authority is not present in Taybeh … they cannot prevent the attacks by settlers against Palestinians because if, God forbid, a settler is harmed, then the Palestinian Authority itself and Palestinians will be accused of carrying out acts of terror against Israeli civilians, even though they’re in our territories. So, we’re being left alone, completely alone with nothing to protect ourselves from any violent aggression,” said Muaddi, who survives as a “tour guide” and assistant to the Ecuadoran Embassy.
“I can do nothing to protect myself. I’m actually being put more at risk because what you have to understand, it is not just some violent [Israeli settler] teenagers that are armed that are attacking me. There’s a whole country, actually, the strongest country in the region, that is backing them up and protecting them. In the village nearby, next to Taybeh, called Deir Jarir, when the youth got out and tried to stop the settlers from attacking and burning the cars like they did in Taybeh, and they threw stones at them. … At that moment, the Israeli army came and in the last two month, they have killed five young people. Two of them were boys, less than 18 years old, 14, 16 years old.”
Muaddi said he is a friend of the man who, several weeks back, was shown being attacked by an Israeli on an ATV while he was praying on the side of the road. More than 10,000 ATV’s were donated to the settlers by organizations through the Israeli government, he said.
Taybeh, located about 12 KM northeast of Ramallah, is known as a historic site known in the Bible as “Ephraim,” where Jesus once hid with his disciples to avoid persecution by the Romans.
Muaddi, who is Christian, said Taybeh and its Christians are under siege today by Israeli settlers who are protected by Israel’s military and government.
“Israel has continued to confiscate Taybeh farmland, forcing the Palestinian Christian population to find other ways to earn a living to survive. And when they can’t survive, they are forced to flee to find work outside of Palestine. It’s an Israeli policy,” Muaddi said.
“Palestine is officially the place where we have the highest level of, uh, unemployment in the world. … Israelis are taking away the lands. [Taybeh] is historically an agricultural place. Nowadays, people depend more on, on getting [non-farm related] jobs.”
Israel is using fear and violence to pressure Palestinians to leave for other countries, Muaddi said, acknowledging it might perplex outsiders to wonder why Christians and Muslims struggle to remain on their lands.
“You must be a bit irrational to stay in this land. And call it love, call it patriotism, call it Christian faith, Muslim faith, call it whatever you want. It is that irrational part that for us Palestinians makes us want to stay in here despite all what you see and hear,” Muaddi said.
“The amount of people and friends, personal friends that I have lost, uh, to Israeli aggressions and terrorism, uh, and were imprisoned and were taken away, um, has put me in a place where, um, I feel I owe these friends … I’m not gonna tell you something very poetic, that I must stay here.”
Muaddi said oppression and restrictions on Palestinian Christians are extensive, noting Taybeh’s population has dropped from 12,000 to 1,300. Many homes in Taybeh have been abandoned because of Israeli violence and economic restrictions, especially on farming.
“So that’s the main reason why people are leaving because they don’t see any future here because we are being threatened in our life every day,” Muaddi said, emphasizing Israeli discrimination policies target Christians and Muslims.
“I find it really essential to stay because you know, as a Christian, you’re supposed to keep your faith even if you don’t see a way out. … Even if you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, you’re supposed to imagine it, you know, stay positive. … all my life I’ve endured this. So, uh, the danger and the risk has gradually been, uh, augmented. So, you kind of get used to it.”
Many settlers are also Israeli soldiers. In recent months, Israeli settlers have been given more than 14,000 automatic weapons, including to young teenagers.
One example of the economic oppression Israel’s decision to ban the export the Christian village’s biggest export of Taybeh Olive Oil, which for many years provided jobs for residents.
“The Taybeh Olive Press did work very well, until actually Israel shut down our exports. They didn’t allow any more export of our products. … The export of our products became impossible … that was like kind of the last hope for people in Taybeh, of finding an economic source that would encourage people to endure the Israeli aggressions and maybe stay in here,” Muaddi said, noting in contrast, Israel “does everything” for Jewish settlers who confiscate Arab lands to build their homes, but also provide automatic weapons to the settlers, adult and children.
The situation in Taybeh is similar to that of other Arab villages under Israeli occupation. Many Christian Palestinians “don’t see any future” here,” Muaddi said. Christians in Taybeh are also “disappointed” that the Israeli oppression is not given much coverage by the Western news media.
To control the false narrative that Christians are treated better by Israel than the Muslim or Arab World, the vast majority of Tourist Guides licensed by Israel are Israeli, and only a few Arab tour guides remain locally, Muaddi said.
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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