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| The village of Taybeh is about 5km from the border 2006 |
Israeli Military Closes Taybeh to Non-Residents After Settler Attacks
JERUSALEM — August 9, 2026
The Israeli military has closed the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank to non-residents, saying the measure is intended to prevent further attacks by Israeli settlers in the area.
The military said the order applies to Israelis and does not restrict Palestinians from entering or leaving the village. It described the decision as a response to recent violent incidents involving Israelis in the surrounding area.
The military said soldiers would be sent to Taybeh when violations of the closure are reported. Their duties include dispersing gatherings and detaining suspects, with the stated aim of protecting residents and maintaining order.
Taybeh is one of the few remaining predominantly Christian villages in the West Bank. The community has received visits from senior Christian religious leaders, including the Greek Orthodox patriarch and the Roman Catholic cardinal of Jerusalem. The village is also known for the Taybeh Brewing Company, considered one of the Middle East's oldest microbreweries.
The closure comes amid wider concerns over attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. In June, Palestinian firefighters and a local priest said settlers had obstructed efforts to extinguish a large fire near Taybeh. The priest described the incident as part of a continuing pattern of intimidation and violence.
Several Western countries have imposed sanctions on Israeli settler groups over violence against Palestinians. A United Nations inquiry released in June also said Israeli authorities had been directly involved in attacks by settlers that resulted in Palestinian deaths, injuries and displacement. Israel rejected those findings and said its authorities had repeatedly condemned violence against Palestinians.
Parts of Taybeh are located in Area B of the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority manages civilian affairs while security matters are coordinated with Israel. The village is part of a wider Palestinian Christian community in the West Bank and Jerusalem that numbers about 50,000 people and has a history in the region dating back centuries.
The military's decision highlights the security tensions facing Palestinian communities in the West Bank, where settler violence and clashes have remained a source of concern. For Taybeh, the closure adds another restriction to a community already living amid continuing political and security tensions.
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