The homes of at least fourteen Christian families in the village of Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah, Palestine, were torched by Muslims from the neighbouring village of Dir Jarir on September 4. The Muslims also destroyed a store, a farm and a gas station. They also vandalized cars and beat the villagers as they fled their homes. The extent of the damage was exacerbated by problems coordinating the Palestinian security forces and the Israel Defense Forces which delayed the response by several hours.
The violence was instigated by the death of a Muslim woman who was killed by relatives after they suspected that she had been involved in a romantic relationship with a Christian man. When the family found out, they forced her to drink poison and then buried her without notifying the authorities. When the Palestinian Authority decided to investigate and planned to exhume the body, the family feared the relationship would be discovered. The attack was reportedly to avenge what they considered the dishonouring of the Muslim woman.
Pray that tensions will subside in the area. Pray for those affected by this attack.
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