The burned soil spits out tails of smoke through the thick layer of black ash covering its surface, stretching from the stone crosses dotting the tombs of the village cemetery to the ancient walls of a 4th-century Byzantine church. Israeli settlers were here last Monday, July 7, inside the urban perimeter of the village. They left their mark by setting fire to the surroundings of the historic Church of al-Khader (Saint George), the most sacred site for the people of the village.

Situated northeast of Ramallah, the town of Taybeh is the last remaining predominantly Christian village in Palestine in the occupied West Bank. The attack on the Palestinian village sets a deadly precedent for its residents, but they were not surprised. This eventuality has been decades in the making, ever since Taybeh began to lose its lands to Israeli land grabs and settlement expansion.

The expulsion of these Bedouin communities from vast swathes of their pastures has been coupled with Israel’s confiscation of these towns’ lands, transforming the lives of Bedouins and villagers alike.

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