Pope calls for an end to West Bank violence against Palestinians

Pope Leo XIV has urged the global community to swiftly address the escalating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Amid a surge of attacks by militant settlers and a siege in the village of Qusra, Israeli settlers have encircled houses, cutting off water and electricity, in an effort to seize more land and encroach upon territory for a proposed Palestinian state.

The Pope renewed his call for an end to the repeated violence against the Palestinian civilian population, urging the international community to take action to advance the two-state solution and achieve a fair and lasting peace. The Vatican has consistently supported the idea of a future Palestinian state, which is recognized by over 150 of the 193 UN member states, encompassing both the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition government has overseen extensive settlement construction in the West Bank, claiming it is necessary to "bury" the notion of such a state. The UN and most governments consider these settlements to be illegal under international law regarding military occupation.

Although Israel seized the West Bank during the 1967 war, it argues that the territory is disputed rather than occupied.