The Church of Saint George in Taybeh next to a burned field. (Israel Police)
Allegations that Jewish Israelis set fire to a historic church in the Palestinian town of Taybeh—drawing condemnation from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee—have proven to be false. That’s according to footage published last night by Israel Police, which shows the church to be untouched by a recent fire.
Let’s quickly recap. Last week, senior church figures visited Taybeh, claiming that “radical Israelis from nearby settlements intentionally set fire near the town cemetery and the Church of Saint George.”
This attracted Huckabee’s attention, who visited the church on Saturday and later tweeted that Taybeh “has been vandalized-including fires set at ancient church…Desecrating a church, mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity and God.”
And while Huckabee didn’t name a perpetrator, the context was clear to all watching: Jewish Israelis had desecrated a church, prompting condemnation from Washington’s man in Jerusalem.
But there’s just one problem: The church was not damaged. As you can see in the above image, there was a fire in an open field next to the church—but not the building itself. Police added that “if arson is confirmed, justice will be pursued regardless of race or background.”
To Huckabee’s credit, he shared Israel Police’s findings this morning, adding that their “investigation reveals no damage to [the] ancient church in Taybeh.”
The bottom line? Next time you see allegations that Israeli extremists targeted Palestinians or Palestinian property, keep this in mind: You may well not be receiving the full picture.
Amit Segal
