Days of Palestine – Tubas

The Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem today condemned Israeli settlers’ violations of its property in the northern Jordan Valley village of Tayasir.

It said in a statement that yesterday “thousands of Israeli settlers entered with no permission and gathered on the land lot belonging to the Latin Patriarchate in Tayasir, near Tubas in northern West Bank, in clear violation of private property.”

The armed settlers were demonstrating in the area under Israeli army protection. Tayasir was only one of several Palestinian villages in that region the settlers broke into in a provocative step to the local Palestinian civilian population.

The Latin Patriarchate said that few days ago the settlers brought their cows to the patriarchate lands and caused considerable damage there.

It protested these and other violations of church property to the Israeli authorities “but – so far – violations to our property continues to take place while the authorities are practically not prohibiting them,” it said.

The Patriarchate said that it is “very concerned not only from the settlers’ violations of its properties, but also from the lack of action by the Israeli authorities to put an end to such offenses.”

It urged the Israeli authorities, “once again, to make sure that law to be respected by all people under their control and to ban further illegal breaking into our properties.”