Talks also explore a potential sister-city partnership between New York City and the Palestinian town.

NEW YORK, United States – Sanad Sahelia / Nabd El-Haya – Father Bashar Fawadleh, the Latin Patriarchate’s parish priest in the Palestinian town of Taybeh, east of Ramallah, met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday, November 11, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza, challenges facing Palestinians in the West Bank, and proposals for cooperation between New York City and Taybeh.

The meeting addressed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need to open a safe humanitarian corridor to deliver aid, medicines, and medical supplies to residents amid growing humanitarian needs.

Fawadleh also outlined the situation facing Palestinian communities in the West Bank, with particular attention to Christian Palestinian communities and the challenges confronting their residents. He raised concerns over attacks and measures affecting residents’ security and their ties to their land, and threatening the continuity of their historic presence in the area.

He said Mamdani was familiar with the situation in Palestine more broadly and was also following developments in Taybeh. According to Fawadleh, the mayor showed interest in the issues raised during the meeting and in the challenges facing the town and its residents.

​The Latin priest briefed Mamdani on the security, economic, and social conditions in Taybeh amid repeated attacks by Israeli settlers, which threaten residents, their property, and their agricultural land. He also highlighted restrictions on freedom of movement that make it difficult for residents to reach their workplaces and access essential services. He said these conditions, alongside declining prospects for economic stability and mounting economic pressures, were deepening fears that families could be forced to leave the town, with implications for the future of its community and the continuity of its presence.

As a possible area of cooperation, Fawadleh proposed exploring a sister-city relationship between New York City and Taybeh. Such a partnership could provide a framework for joint initiatives in education and community engagement, as well as other areas of cooperation.

According to Fawadleh, Mamdani expressed interest in the proposal and stressed the importance of taking it forward for further discussion and follow-up to explore how it could be developed.

The meeting also addressed opportunities to support local products from Taybeh, particularly handicrafts and other locally made goods that could be promoted and marketed through the proposed cooperation, potentially helping them reach new markets.

Father Fawadleh’s meeting with Mamdani forms part of his efforts to bring Palestinian issues and the concerns of local communities to the attention of political, Church and international circles. Drawing on his pastoral experience in Taybeh, he has sought to broaden the discussion to include the challenges facing Palestinian communities across the West Bank, including Christian communities.

Fawadleh is visiting the United States through November 17, with stops in New York City and Washington, D.C. His itinerary includes meetings with Church officials and other American figures and institutions, as well as participation in media and cultural events. Planned engagements include meetings with officials from the Diocese of Brooklyn, participation in the opening of a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) event at Riverside Church in New York, titled “Concert and Storytelling about Palestine,” and a recording of the “Al-Manara” podcast with Bishop Sweeney. The visit also includes efforts to arrange meetings at the United Nations and further engagements in Washington

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