The city of Ephraim is mentioned in the Christian Scriptures in the Gospel of John and was known as the place of refuge where Jesus sought solace away from Jerusalem prior to his execution. Today, the historic village still exists, and the 600 or so Christians there consider themselves descendants of the faithful dating back more than 2,000 years to the time of Christ. A statue of Jesus, with his arms raised in welcome and blessing, greets visitors at Ephraim square near the center of the village. However, today Christians in the Holy Land, including in Taybeh are disappearing and under threat of displacement. If something is not done, soon the land will be absent of any Christian presence. 

I’ve heard wonderful things about the small Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh over the years. When living in Jerusalem in 2010, the reputation of the town was a source of pride for all, not only because of its Christian history and presence, but also because of the Khoury family’s entrepreneurial enterprise of Taybeh Beer. Palestinians spoke of  the Taybeh Octoberfest and beer festival as an annual highlight as the events brought in thousands of visitors to both Taybeh and Palestine every year. Going into restaurants in Bethlehem and other parts of the West Bank, one could have a Taybeh Beer, or wine, named after the father of the family owned business that had been launched by him and his father before him. Generations of the Khoury family are invested and they continue to be a source of pride and hope amid challenging times. Now you can find Taybeh Beer throughout numerous locations in Europe and several cities in the United States. The family contributes not only by remaining in the land and investing their family business, but providing a source of national pride and hope for opportunities for a better future. 

Taybeh has been in the news for other reasons in recent months, as neighboring radical settlers have begun invading the small community and causing terror. Armed often with U.S. made rifles, settlers act with impunity, limiting the ability of local villagers to harvest their olive groves and devastating the local economy, which was already depressed because of previous settler incursions and the almost two year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. International attention turned to the West Bank as settler attacks resulted in the deaths of local Palestinians, including an American citizen, in the villages of Sinjil, Ein Malik, and other surrounding areas. 

July 7, 2025 and for the subsequent five days, three settler incursions occurred that became increasingly aggressive. Desecrating the ancient historic Byzantine church, armed Israeli settlers grazed their cattle on the perimeter of the historic church of St. George (Al Khader) and walked them boldly through the village reaching private homes and wreaking havoc and fear. A fire was lit along the perimeter of the church and the village, which is consistent with a pattern of settler intimidation in other neighboring villages throughout the occupied West Bank. Residents and clergy were subjected to verbal threats, intimidation, and physical damage to their environment including the burning of cars immediately outside of homes where parents and children resided. The results of the attacks include more than 55 people being injured and 67 people displaced. 

On July 8, local church leaders issued an urgent plea for investigations into the attacks, calling for accountability, diplomatic pressure for protection, international delegations to bear witness, and support for Taybeh’s economic and agricultural initiatives. 

In the immediate aftermath, two Americans who said they were journalists, came to the village and were welcomed by the local Christian community. Supporting settler propaganda, they created a video walking through only parts of the town and intentionally denying that damage occurred, asserting that settlers had come to “assist” and not “intimidate,” and misrepresent the actions and conduct of the local clergy and residents. Despite threatening Hebrew graffiti written saying “there is no future for you here” on one of the walls of the homes where a family’s private vehicle was scorched and burned, Israeli media began to sow doubt that the attacks were perpetrated by Israeli settlers. 

Nonetheless, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee visited and spoke out against the attacks on Palestinians in Taybeh and in the surrounding area. He called for an investigation and for the force of law to be applied so that Palestinian communities, and Christians, might be able to live in their homes without fear. However, the recent visit does not remedy the lack of access local villagers still have to their olive groves, and the systemic issues of settler intimidation and violence still remain. Christians suffer the realities of occupation and settler impunity alongside their Muslim neighbors in other nearby towns. 

The village of Taybeh was divided into two different zones after the Oslo Accords where 65 percent of the village is under Israeli civil and security control (Area C) and 35 percent of the village being under Israeli security and Palestinian civil control (Area B). In reality, over the past few years, villagers have lost access and the ability to farm more than 50 percent of their historic olive groves significantly diminishing the income of local residents who find it increasingly difficult to be able to make ends meet. Local settlers threaten shooting or other violence if villagers attempt to harvest their trees that are not close geographically to the populated part of the town. 

I had the privilege of visiting the village this past week and meeting with the town mayor, some of the Christian clergy, and with villagers from the town. Our small group was greeting with hospitality and welcome as the stories of the trauma of past weeks and years were recounted. While having coffee and visiting with some of the local Christians, one of the families gave me a bracelet with a Jerusalem cross at the center. Asking us for prayer, we left their home taking their words to heart, “Don’t forget us,” they said. 

Do not forget the Christians of Palestine. As holy places and Christian people remain under threat, many of the younger generation emigrates in search of a better life and economic opportunities. The exodus of Christians from the Holy Land cannot be ignored. What would the land of Jesus be like without the living church remaining on the land where Jesus was born, lived, and did ministry? Take actions through prayer and solidarity, giving witness to the stories you learn, while also demanding that government actors hold the Israeli government accountable and demanding the protection of Christian communities in the land. 

Tell the story of Taybeh, the ancient biblical city of Ephraim. Challenge your representatives and elected officials to advocate for the community of Taybeh, and to legislate against settler expansion and violence. Might Taybeh village once again be a place of refuge - not only for the Palestinian Christians who live there - but for thousands of visitors each year who travel to the place on a spiritual pilgrimage and in search of a good beer. 

Photo by Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich)