The last entirely Christian town in the Holy Land is facing what its parish priest describes as an unprecedented threat to its land, its people and its historic Christian presence.

After months of appeals over repeated violence targeting Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, Father Bashar Fawadleh says hardline Israeli settlers have begun constructing an illegal outpost.

Often a precursor to a permanent settlement, he argues that the move is intended to impose “a new reality” by force and to pressure the people of Taybeh into leaving their land.

Existing only a few metres from residential homes, Father Fawadleh says families fear living under constant intimidation as roving gangs of marauding settlers have harassed locals with impunity.

The town has spent months drawing international attention to its plight but, despite these efforts, threats, disruptions and sporadic violence has continued.

The Parish Priest has again appealed for concrete steps, not just rhetoric, warning that if Taybeh were to lose its people, the world would lose an ancient living Christian community.