From Fire to Falsehood: The Church Arson That Never Happened

By
Greg Bouwer
-
0
123

Once again, Israel stands accused — and once again, the accusation collapses under the weight of truth. The latest blood libel, enthusiastically amplified by international media and echoed by diplomats and church leaders, alleges that Jewish “settlers” set fire to an ancient Christian church in the West Bank village of Taybeh. The imagery was too perfect for Israel’s detractors: religious hatred, Christian holy sites, and “radical settlers.” The narrative was swallowed whole. But it was a lie.

The Claim

On July 7, 2025, headlines blared: Jewish extremists had torched the 1,500-year-old Church of Saint George in Taybeh. Palestinian Christian leaders, joined by Western church delegations and NGOs, condemned the act as religious terrorism. Photos circulated of young Jewish men near the flames — portrayed as proof of their guilt. The world raged. And the media? They barely paused to verify the facts.

The Evidence

What actually happened is both simpler and far more damning for those pushing the falsehood.

  • No church was burned. No cemetery was desecrated.
     Aerial imagery, video footage, and eyewitness accounts all confirm: the church remains untouched. The fire was in adjacent scrubland.

  • The fire was started by Arabs from the village of Taybeh (a Christian town near Ramallah) in an attempt to drive Jewish herders from the surrounding grazing lands. These arson attacks had occurred multiple times in the same week: July 3, 7, 8, and 11.

  • The “settlers” accused of fanning the flames were actually extinguishing them.
     Members of the nearby Rimonim Farm rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers and leaf blowers—the standard tools used in open-field firefighting. Footage shows them battling the flames to protect both their land and the village itself.

  • They even prevented the fire from reaching the church.
     Instead of “letting the village burn,” the Jewish residents fought to stop the fire just meters from the church and cemetery.

  • No formal complaint has been filed with the police.
     Despite the media storm and diplomatic condemnations, no one from Taybeh has formally alleged Jewish arson. Why? Because the truth would not survive scrutiny.

The Lie

This was never about a fire. It was about a narrative. The same anti-Israel chorus that distorts every incident into “settler violence” saw an opportunity—and they pounced. Major international outlets reported the arson as fact. Senior officials called for prosecutions. The church leadership invited global delegations to inspect the “damage.” All without evidence. All without correction.

This wasn’t a journalistic failure. It was a deliberate choice to believe the worst about Jews. Again. And it worked. The image of a church in flames at the hands of Israelis is now embedded in the global consciousness, immune to retraction.

The Damage

No stones were blackened in Taybeh. But the reputational damage to Israel, to Jewish farmers living under constant harassment, and to truth itself is severe.

This lie joins a long history of false accusations — from al-Dura to Jenin to Gaza hospital hoaxes — each one seized upon as fact, each one exposed later as fabrication. But by then the mob has moved on. The damage is done.

The Lesson

The next time a story seems too perfectly villainous to be true, wait. Investigate. Question. And remember Taybeh — not as a church that burned, but as another example of truth going up in smoke.

References

    1. Israel Police: No damage to Palestinian church in alleged arson

      • Jerusalem Post, July 18, 2025
    2. Israel Police Refute False Allegations of Arson at West Bank Church

      • The Media Line, July 17, 2025
    3. Burning Questions: What Really Happened at Taybeh’s Church?

      • TPS News Agency, July 19, 2025
    4. Rimonim farm residents helped extinguish fire threatening ancient church

      • Israel National News, July 19, 2025
    5. Arik Kahana’s report and drone footage (translated summary)

      • X.com/@arik3000, July 18, 2025
    6. No complaint filed with police despite media outcry

      • Legal Insurrection, July 19, 2025
    7. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee clarifies position

      • Legal Insurrection, ibid.
    8. Opinion: This is how libels are manufactured

      • Jerusalem Post (Opinion), July 20, 2025