22/07/2025
‼️Urgent: Correcting the Record on "Taybeh Church Arson"
Last week, a dramatic and false story — "Israeli settlers torch church in Taybeh" — was rapidly disseminated globally by global news agencies and spiraled as a result on social media. This unverified report led to immediate international condemnation, diplomatic damage, and widespread outrage.
Our TPS-IL field team sprang into immediate action and swiftly investigated on the ground in Taybeh. We interviewed witnesses, examined the church, and reviewed security footage, confirming the story was entirely baseless. The church is intact, and the accused shepherds were actually the first to extinguish a small grass fire outside the compound.
Yesterday, TPS-IL published our full, meticulously sourced investigation, highlighting the critical failure of basic journalistic legwork by major news agencies. Editorial biases, rather than facts, drove the original narrative.
Correcting this record is just the beginning. Restoring professional standards in international reporting demands sustained effort. Facts are not an option, and agendas must never replace verification.
TPS-IL remains committed to accurate, on-the-ground reporting until accuracy is once again prioritized in headlines.
Read the full story here:
https://tps.co.il/articles/burning-questions-what-really-happened-at-taybehs-church/
Mike Huckabee U.S. Embassy Jerusalem
