Clerics and diplomats walked as if in a religious procession through the streets of Taybeh, a small Christian village in the occupied West Bank where residents blame Israeli settlers for a spate of recent attacks.

In cassocks and suits respectively, they answered the call from the local town hall and priests to meet residents affected by the violence and to see for themselves the arson damage on the remains of a Byzantine church.

"It became every day more clear that there is no law. The only law is power," said Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

"Israeli authorities have a role to play in conducting the necessary investigations to find the perpetrators and charge them," French Consul General in Jerusalem Nicolas Kassianides said.

As he walked through the village on Monday, a resident thanked the French diplomat for his presence at the previous olive harvest -- a common practice for Israeli activists and foreigners hoping their presence will deter settler attacks on Palestinians.

The European Union's representative in the Palestinian Territories,........

© Al Monitor