Jerusalem, 21 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) — The Israel Police has issued an official statement refuting recent international media reports that claimed an arson attack was carried out at the site of the Church of Saint George in the village of Taybeh, located in the Binyamin region.
According to the statement, the reports are “factually incorrect, lack any evidentiary basis, and risk misleading the public.”
A special investigative team from the Judea and Samaria Central Unit has been assigned to examine the incident, alongside an internal review committee led by the Deputy District Commander. Police emphasized that “no damage was caused to the church or to any holy site”, and that the fire broke out in an adjacent open area, affecting no buildings or infrastructure.
The police added that emergency dispatch received initial calls about the fire from both Israeli and Palestinian residents, but “no repeated or follow-up calls were received from Palestinian sources”, contrary to certain media reports.
“The rule of law depends on facts, not assumptions,” the statement reads. “Unproven allegations and misleading headlines cannot be allowed to replace evidence, due process, and the pursuit of truth.”
This clarification follows an investigative report published by TPS-IL on Sunday, revealing serious inconsistencies in the narrative circulated by several international outlets. The investigation also shed light on the political interests and alliances behind the claims.
The aerial images released by the Israel Police corroborate visual evidence previously published by TPS-IL, clearly showing the distance between the fire zone and the church structure.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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