Three Palestinians arrested for torching Christmas tree at Catholic church in West Bank

Three Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank city of Jenin after allegedly setting a Christmas tree on fire and damaging part of a Nativity scene at a Catholic church on Monday at 3 am. Palestinian Authority Police said Wednesday that three suspects were taken into custody following a review of surveillance footage that captured the attack targeting the Holy Redeemer Church of Jenin.

Investigators also seized tools believed to have been used during the incident. In a statement, police condemned what they described as an attempt to stir sectarian and religious tensions in the West Bank.

In the hours after the attack, the church shared images on social media showing the skeletal remains of a synthetic Christmas tree stripped of its green plastic branches. Red and gold ornaments appeared scattered across the courtyard. Church staff quickly removed the damaged tree and replaced it the next day, ensuring the site was restored in time for Christmas Mass. The church also held a special ceremony attended by local Muslim and Christian leaders, along with politicians, signaling solidarity in the wake of the arson.

Rev. Amer Jubran, pastor of the church, wrote in a Facebook post that the arson was a “deliberate and fabricated act carried out by outlaws” and “shameful and reprehensible.”He added, "This occasion reaffirmed that attempts to harm religious symbols will never diminish the spirit of the city nor the faith of its people."

The episode comes amid broader concerns from the West Bank’s small Christian population, which has increasingly reported threats linked to Palestinian extremists. Christians make up between 1 and 2 percent of the West Bank’s roughly 3 million residents, with the overwhelming majority of the population being Muslim. More broadly, Christian communities across the Middle East have steadily declined as families flee Muslim-controlled areas.