
Last week, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the Binyamin region of the West Bank, where he was told by local leaders that Jewish settlers had burned down the ancient Church of Saint George. There is no evidence, however, that Jews were behind the alleged arson. In fact, Jews living near the village actually helped extinguish a fire that was lit by Palestinians to prevent Jewish shepherds from grazing their cattle.
After the visit, Huckabee wrote on X:
"Taybeh is a quiet Palestinian Christian village south of Jerusalem w/ a lot of American citizens that has been vandalized-including fires set at ancient church. I visited there today. Desecrating a church,mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity & God."
In another post on X, Huckabee wrote:
"I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel-Jewish, Muslim or Christian. When they are terrorized or victims of crime I will demand those responsible be held accountable w/ real consequences. Was in Taybeh today to meet with people of that village to listen & learn."
Huckabee has always been a great friend of Israel and Jews. Although he did not claim Jews were responsible for the alleged arson, many Palestinians and Israel-haters around the world were quick to interpret his visit to Taybeh and subsequent statements as a full endorsement of claims that Jews had burned down a church.
On July 22, Huckabee clarified that he did not blame Jews for the arson:
"Investigation reveals no damage to ancient church in Taybeh & investigation of origin of fire continues. I have NOT attributed the cause of fire to any person or group as we don't know for sure. The press has. I have said that regardless, it was crime & deserves consequences."
Huckabee should be commended for understanding that the Palestinians had lied to him when they claimed that Jews were behind the arson.
Elisha Yered, a Jewish father of three living in the West Bank, commented:
"In recent days, a despicable and false blood libel has been raging around the world against the settlements, reminiscent of dark periods in Europe, and it has so far managed to deceive quite a few lovers of Israel in the US...
"No 'nationalist crime' event by Jews was carried out, no church was set on fire, and no cemetery was desecrated. Exactly the opposite—Christian Arabs from the village of Taybeh set fire to open areas four times in one week to prevent Jews from grazing there...
"The cattle herders at Rimmonim Farm in Binyamin have been suffering for a long time from harassments, attacks, and arsons in the grazing areas, including from the village of Taybeh—a nearby Christian village...
"The event that sparked the uproar happened on 07/07. For the second time that week, Arabs from the village set a fire that began spreading rapidly. The farm's residents rushed to the scene with motorized blowers and fire beaters—the ultimate tools for dealing with fires in open areas—and managed to gain control of the blaze. At the same time, the flames also spread toward the village, but the farm residents insisted on fighting to extinguish that hotspot as well, even though they could have easily said "let them eat the porridge they cooked," and they stopped the fire just before it reached the line of houses, where, among other things, there is a church and an ancient cemetery.
"Throughout the entire event, no damage was caused in any way to the church or the cemetery, and they certainly weren't 'completely set ablaze' or 'suffered heavy damage'—thanks in part to the residents who fought the fire with their bare hands. This is a fact, not an interpretation. See the drone photo that shows it clearly."
Tour guide and archeologist Eliana Passentin went to the church in Taybeh to check the facts, and said in a video filmed at the site of the ancient church:
"I've been getting phone calls from Christian friends all over the world, about the Jews, the Israeli settlers, burning down a church in Taybeh. I know that church. I have my Masters in archeology. I remember it's a Byzantine church. Let's go see how one burns down an ancient church made of stone.
"So, we're walking in. I don't see any signs of a fire. I don't see a church burned down. Here I am in the outskirts of the church. You can see the apse over here. And even on the outskirts or the outer walls there are no signs of fire. I can't find any. So, it doesn't look like the church has been burned down. But not far from the church, there was shrub that was most probably burnt in the fire. This happens all over Judea and Samaria. You can see that these stones would have stopped the fire, and I still believe it's important to find out who set the fire. So who has the interest to display this bonfire as the settlers burning down the church?
"Someone is behind this. 'The Jews are burning down the church.' Someone has an interest for you to believe that. If someone were to burn down a church, and it happened in our jurisdiction, we would make sure to put an end to it immediately. But that is not what happened. And when I get a phone call from our Christian friends saying,' how could you guys let that happen, burn down a church?,' I said, 'well, what are you imagining?'
"And they're imagining a wood structure, and that the settlers came in and threw a torch in and set it to fire. This is an ancient archeological site. I have very much respect for it. But even if I tried my hardest, there's no way to burn it down. So not only is that not what happened, but it makes a great story. And when you have enough funding and you can spread the word, everyone believes it.
"So I'm here to reach out to our Christian friends, who know us and believe in us. We are the guardians of the biblical heartland. This land was given to us by God. There is no reason for us to burn a church or to disrespect anyone else's religion. We do not do that. But we will find the truth. We will find out who put a fire to those fields, and they will pay the consequences."
An independent investigation by the Press Service of Israel (TPS-IL) has uncovered critical inconsistencies in claims that Israelis deliberately set fire to the 1,500-year-old church.
"Contrary to the widely reported accusations, TPS-IL found evidence of firefighting efforts by local Jewish residents and raised serious doubts about the fire's origin – casting a shadow over the political motivations behind the allegation made by a promising Christian leader in the Holy land."
The news agency noted that on July 14, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, joined by Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and diplomats from 20 countries, visited the church in Taybeh. Theophilos declared:
"Radical Israelis from nearby settlements intentionally set fire near the town cemetery and the church of St. George. This is not a violation of property, but a targeted attack on a community that has been long a symbol of coexistence and peace."
According to TPS-IL:
"[A] closer inspection of the footage reveals something different: several young men from the adjacent Jewish farm can be seen running up the hill with fire extinguishing equipment and reflective vests, attempting to put out the flames — not start them.
"Video footage circulating on social media showed the teenager with what appeared to be a compressed air blower often used to help control and extinguish brush fires. But Palestinian social media posts labeled him an arsonist.
"TPS-IL spoke to one of the shepherds involved in the incident. Because he is a minor, he is being identified as Y. He told TPS-IL he was in the field grazing the animals when suddenly, a fire started a few meters away that scared them. Y. called the farmer to report the fire and tried to smother the fire with his shirt. While he was doing that, he saw several Palestinians coming out of the cemetery, shouting and throwing things at him.
"Furthermore, separate fires on July 7, 8, and 11 were documented in areas of pastureland dozens of meters away from the church compound. In all cases, a Jewish farmer whose farm is next to the church compound complained to the police that someone had torched the area where his shepherd was grazing. TPS-IL has obtained time-stamped documentation of these reports."
"'Instead of being leaders of truth, these church leaders have become players controlled on the board,' said Amit Barak, an expert on Christian affairs in Israel and former project manager of the Christian Empowerment Council. Barak has been working for years with the Christian community in Israel, helping its members integrate into the military and national service. Through this role, he has been exposed to the civil and political activities of the churches in the country.
"'They are pawns. In the past, people blamed the Jew. Today, they blame "the settler,"' he told TPS-IL.
"Barak said, 'These churches in Israel have very close ties with the World Council of Churches, a body that has always tried to play the game and wear masks. But in June, it issued a statement that removed all the masks and laid everything out on the table.' The June 24 statement called on churches and other institutions to sanction Israel, and support war crimes investigations, and label Israeli actions as 'apartheid,' among other things.
'Church leaders fall into the trap time and again,' Barak said. 'They simply don't check the facts. they're swept away by false accusations, and the campaign against Israel easily latches onto "the settlers."'"
In the wake of these revelations, all those who rushed to blame Jews for "burning down" a church should apologize for endorsing this new blood libel. Huckabee, a man of good intentions and a staunch advocate for Israel, knows the Jews very well. However, he, like many in the media and the international community, does not appear to be familiar with the Palestinians' long-time practice of spreading lies and fabrications with the purpose of vilifying Israel and demonizing Jews.
Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. His work is made possible through the generous donation of a couple of donors who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.