The church which was built in the 1960s to seat almost 3,500 people will be replaced by a smaller church seating about 350.

“Demolitions in Sur Baher serve only to undermine the human rights of Palestinians and jeopardise hopes for long-term peace and a two-state solution.”

Since June 1967, the Israeli military has demolished more than 48,000 Palestinian homes and other structures such as schools, water purification facilities and electricity infrastructure. At the same time, Israel continues to allow illegal settlement construction on land on which Palestinians are forbidden from building.

Ten Christian places of worship targeted in crackdown in Zhejiang province.