Clerics accuse West Bank settlers of attacking Christian sites

Christian leaders accused Israeli settlers on Monday of attacking sacred sites in the West Bank, in violence that one said was forcing some to consider quitting the occupied territory.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III – visiting the Christian town of Taybeh with other Jerusalem-based clerics – said settlers had started a fire near a cemetery and a 5th century church there last week.
“These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community … but also to the historic and religious heritage,” the patriarch told diplomats and journalists at a press conference in Taybeh.
Settlers had also attacked homes in the area, he said.