Pope Francis calls for an end to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank

Pope Leo, the Pope of the Vatican, called on Sunday for an end to violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, amid escalating attacks by extremist settlers and the imposition of a siege on the town of Qusra in the region.

Israeli settlers surrounded several homes after cutting off their water and electricity supplies, in what human rights groups described as coordinated efforts to seize more land and further encroach on territory that Palestinians seek to establish their state upon.

Pope Leo said, “I renew my appeal for an end to the repeated acts of violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank,” without mentioning specific clashes or attacks.

The Pope added from his residence at Castel Gandolfo near Rome, “I urgently call on the international community to work towards advancing a two-state solution for a just and lasting peace.”

The Vatican has long supported the idea of a future Palestinian state, which has been recognized by more than 150 of the 193 member states of the United Nations as comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Under Israel’s right-wing coalition government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, settlement expansion in the West Bank has intensified. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has stated that this aims to eliminate the idea of a Palestinian state.

The United Nations and most governments consider the settlements illegal under international law concerning military occupation. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war but claims the territory is disputed rather than occupied.