Clerics accuse West Bank settlers of attacking Christian sites

Christian leaders accused Israeli settlers on Monday (July 14) 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. "It is not the first time we have a conflict... this time it's very difficult to to see how and when this will finish, and especially for the youth to talk about hope, trust for the future," Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, added.