Beit Sahour Mayor Warns World, Church Leaders of New Illegal Israeli Settlement
The harassment and intimidation by settlers would “ultimately result in pushing our citizens to migration.”
The mayor of the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour, Elias Iseed, has sent an urgent letter to world and church leaders warning of Israeli actions he says threaten the town’s stability and future.
Iseed, whose town of 15,000 is known as the site of the biblical Shepherds’ Field and where 75% of residents are Christian Palestinians, said Israel’s attempt to build a Jewish settlement on Beit Sahour’s lands amounts to an “act of dispossession” that will terrorize the peaceful community. The planned settlement, he said, would cut off Beit Sahour and deny residents access to the Osh Ghurab park and recreation area, which would sit adjacent to the new outpost.
The mayor noted that the targeted land falls under Area C, where Israel maintains full security and administrative control. He said the area is already overshadowed by a nearby Israeli military post overlooking the recreational park and sports field. Establishing a settlement on the site, he warned, “will disrupt our entire community,” and the resulting harassment and intimidation by settlers would “ultimately result in pushing our citizens to migration.”
Citing the widely documented rise in settler violence, Iseed referred to UN OCHA figures reporting 757 settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank since January 2025 — a 13% increase over the same period in 2024.
In his appeal, the mayor called on global and church leaders to exercise their “moral responsibility” and use their influence to help halt the planned settlement, urging supporters to ensure that “the truth is heard and that justice prevails.”
The December 2 appeal came after the head of Israel’s Gush Etzion Regional Council announced on November 25 the “establishment of a new community” called Shdema, adjacent to residential areas of Beit Sahour.
The Israeli group Peace Now reported that “overnight, tractors leveled the ground, and by morning, several caravans had been placed on the site.” The organization noted that the area, known as Oush Grab, had been earmarked about 15 years ago for a children’s hospital serving Bethlehem. Still, the project was halted after settlers established an unauthorized outpost and pressured the government to stop construction.
Peace Now said the new outpost is intended to “choke the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour and block its development,” adding: “There is no limit to the settlers’ audacity in establishing outposts and creating facts on the ground, while using public funds and denying Israel the chance for a future of peace and two states.”
The movement stated that it has filed a police complaint, demanding an investigation into the council’s involvement in the illegal construction.