00:00Christian leaders have accused Israeli settlers of attacking sacred sites in the West Bank,
00:05in violence that one said was forcing some to consider quitting the occupied territory.
00:10The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilus III,
00:15visiting the Christian town of Tebe with other Jerusalem-based clerics,
00:19said settlers had started a fire near a cemetery and a 5th century church there last week.
00:24Even in times of war, holy sites must be protected.
00:31We call for an immediate and transparent investigation on why the Israeli police did not respond to emergency calls from the local community
00:43and why these abhorrent actions continue to go unpunished.
00:48The attacks by the hands of settlers against our community, who is living in peace,
00:55must stop, both here in Tebe and elsewhere throughout the West Bank.
01:01This is clearly part of the systematic attacks against Christians that we see unfolding throughout the region.
01:10Israel's government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
01:16B'Tselem and other rights groups say settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.
01:26The Israeli military has also intensified raids across the West Bank.
01:31The Israeli military is now displaced and 하나- één-
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